The Boy who Joined Overwatch
by Can't think uva user
Summary: Brayden was only a 13 year old boy and was the star quarterback for his football team, but when Talon starts looking for him because of his newfound powers, he is horribly injured. With the help of Overwatch, he is able to live, fight for, and become a part of the family. As he ages more and more, he comes in contact with situations beyond his own imagination.
1. Chapter 1

"What the..." *cough* "where am I?" Suddenly the memories start to settle in and creep their way into my head.

*Flashback*

It was just a normal day at school, me hanging out with a couple of friends, I wasn't the most popular kid in school, but being a quarterback for your middle school team has its advantages. But then something caught my eye. Some shady looking people were standing outside the school. I started to stare, my blood pumping. "Hey Brayden, you okay?"

"Wait what, yeah sure Wyatt, just spaced out."

I turned back to what I was looking at and no one was there. I shrugged it off and thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Then the gunshots started, everyone screamed, running into people trying to escape somehow. But we were in the cafeteria, and the only exit was where the gunshots were heard, no one dared to go there.

Men with guns and masks rushed through the door, telling everyone to get on the ground.

"We are just looking for a boy. Names Brayden, ever heard of him?"

My heart nearly exploded. Why do they want me? Wyatt looked at me concerned. I started to stand up, I didn't want people to die for me. Wyatt grabbed my wrist, giving a concerned look. I shook him off. I had to do this.

"So this is the man of the hour?"

The man was wearing all black, a hood, and a skull face. His deep voice echoed in my head. This may be the last thing I hear, I thought. I gulped that fear down, and I swear when he touched my shoulder I almost pissed myself. His hands... no his claws, were so cold, they sunk into my shoulder. I winced, not daring to look this man in the eye.

He put his fingers to my chin and forced it upward.

"What? You look like you've seen a ghost?" He chuckled menacingly.

"Now here's the plan, you are gonna come with us, and we're gonna, how you say give you powers beyond your imagination, it's gonna be fun. Huh?"

"Why me?" I asked, barely able to whisper at this point.

"We want the most gifted kids in the world, we're gonna be a team you and I. Heard you have some powers, you may not know but ya do, so, coming with us?"

"Never!" I punched him in the gut and ran, adrenaline kicking in, I had to get out some how, I started to push through the rest of his men and make a break for it. I felt a loud bang and a sharp pain in my leg, but I kept running, was almost out. As my heart started to race, my body started to burn up, my fingertips sparking and crackling with fire. But it didn't hurt, if any thing, I felt better, I had never felt more alive. Another bang, this one in the shoulder. It stung like hell, i fell to the ground, crying, I had never felt this much pain.

"Stop shooting!" I hear the man growl to his henchmen.

They gathered around me, one reached down to pick me up, but I lifted my hand up. Fire unleaded from my hand, burning him to a crisp. They all backed away. I stood there in shock, how did I do that? I tried again, lifting my hand up, and fire came out hitting another henchman. "Hell yeah!" I screamed.

Bang!

Blood trickled out of my mouth, filling my throat with the salty taste of it. I tried to stop it but I kept coming out. This was it. I thought, this is how I die, I fell to the floor, drowning in my own blood. My ears started to ring, I could feel my heart start to become weaker and beat slower, I couldn't breathe. "I said don't shoot you imbeciles!"

Before everything went black, I heard a feminine voice, with a strong British accent say "Cheers love, the calvary's here!"


	2. Chapter 2

"What? Where am I?" The room I was I was blindingly bright, almost like a hospital. My eyes were starting to adjust when I heard a robotic voice speak.

"Vital signs 100%, good morning. Welcome to Gibraltar, Overwatch headquarters."

Overwatch?! Like THE Overwatch?! The one with all the heroes I look up to. The ones who saved us from the omnic crisis? Is that where I am? Oh my god!

A tall woman in a lab coat with blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever laid eyes upon walked in, with a clipboard in hand, she walked in, but immediately dropped it when she noticed I was awake, I was in some glass tube, so it was hard to see but she seemed to be caught off guard. She immediately sprinted out to the tell the rest.

Oh my god was that Mercy? Oh I could just melt!

it had been a few minutes, but she came back in with a gorilla the size of a small tank and white armor with glasses.

Is that Winston?!

And following behind with a pep in her step and a beautiful smile was a woman with short brown hair that defied gravity with how it stood up. She had a pilots jacket on with a British flag on the shoulder and some bright orange pants that fit tight around her legs.

Tracer!? Is that really Tracer, am I dreaming? If I am don't pinch me please!

"Athena, open the pod, we need to talk to the boy, see if he is alright."

"Yes Winston"

I gasped, seeing the Overwatch logo on the roof of the the room I was in. But that had hurt almost as much as anything in the world, it felt like I had a hole in my neck, which to be honest I probably did. I started gasping for breath, choking. Mercy ran to a desk nearby a grabbed a canister, it was small and grey, and had little tubes connecting it. She ran to my side, grabbing my hand, "this might hurt a bit." She said. Before I could react she shoved it into the hole in my throat, and twisting, I could hear it siss and I felt air rush through my body, I started to cough and catch my breath.

Tracer ran to my side and grabbed me and pulled me up gently. "You alright luv?" She asked in that amazing accent of hers.

"Yeah, just a little winded" I joked, to which she chuckled in response. "Am I dreaming, are you guys real? Please be real." Winston snorted, "Looks like we have a fan." "I would think so based on his heart rate, calm down, your heart is going at 120 beats per minute ." She grabbed my head and tilted it towards her, "How many fingers am I holding up?" She held up 2 fingers. "Two." "Good, now, what is your name?" Mercy asked. Name, what is my name? Aww come on think don't embarrass yourself in front of your heroes. "Uhh... Brayden that's my name. Yeah Brayden. Sorry a little shocked at what is going on." My voice shocked me, it was considerably deeper than before, guess it's the tube.

"That's a nice name Brayden." Winston said. "Now, what happened before you were here?" My mind started racing to what happened that day, I started hyperventilating, seeing the man with the skull's face, his voice echoed through my ears, the pain shot through my neck, the fear...

"Luv? You alright? We lost you for a second there."

"Yeah, I remember him, his voice, the skull face, they wanted me for something, I tried to fight back, my hand caught fire and I could use it against them, then I got shot."

"Reaper." Tracer said. "Shooting fire, did I hear you right? Do you have powers?" "I don't know, I just shot fire out of my hands, I could try again, is that okay?"

They all nodded, backing away for safety reasons. Tracer shot me a smile and Mercy and Winston waved me off, letting me know I could do it. My mind ran back to how I felt that day. The anger, the fear, the pain, the need to live, the courage. I felt the sparks come again, my skin turning slightly red, my blood pumping, I could feel every bit of energy running through my body, my short brown hair turning to an ashy gray, I put all my energy into one hand, shooting a wave of fire. I chuckled, putting my powers to the test, I used my other hand too, I could hear the fire crackle around me. I felt amazing. I started swinging my fists around, punching and kicking the air, trails of flame being left behind where ever they went. I stopped. Feeling extremely tired, I looked around to see nothing but ash and smoke around me. I coughed slightly, still getting used to the canister in my neck.

I turned to see Tracer blink over to me, and give me a hug. "That was bloody wicked! Absolutely brilliant! You have got to teach me how to do that sometime!" I gladly returned the hug back, who would miss out on the chance to hug Lena Oxton, THE Tracer, the cover girl for Overwatch. I looked over to see Winston cheering along side Tracer, who was now chanting "Go Brayden! Go Brayden! Go Brayden!" And Mercy on the other hand was furiously writing on her clipboard.

When Mercy was done, she called both Tracer and Winston over to talk. They huddled together, looking back at me every once and a while, I smiled at them every time. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but I knew it was about me. I simply waited for them to be done talking, still not over how I was here and not dead. I must be the luckiest boy in the world.

After a few minutes they turned to me in unison. They all shook my hand. "Why all the congratulations?"

"Welcome to Overwatch" they all said in unison.

I jumped in the air as high as I could, giving them all hugs, while screaming thank you every time I got. I didn't have much back at home to live for, and I can make a difference here. Then a thought popped into my head. "Wait, are you sure? I'm only 13." I asked. Mercy chucked "With those powers I think you could handle yourself better than most adults. Of course you will have a lot of training to do to get to peak physical condition."

"Alright, now where are we going to put you. We don't have much room, so, you may have to be roommates with someone." Winston said.

Tracer blinked over to me and put her arm around my shoulder. "I call Brayden! Oh this is going to be fun, we could stay up late, watch scary movies, eat popcorn, or pizza, I could order pizza, or...

Mercy covered her mouth with her hand, rolling her eyes. "She could go on for hours, trust me. Alright Lena I trust you can show him to his new room, don't have too much fun you two. Training early in the morning, then induction ceremony for Brayden."

They left and me and Lena walked through the hallways together, she was still going on about her plans, but I feel like for once in her life, the person she was talking to was paying complete attention. This is going to be fun!


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note Thank you for all the support. Seriously, 2 chapters and 91 views, that's insane. I really appreciate it. It motivates me to keep updating everytime I can. Expect weekly chapters at least. I really enjoy making these and I'm glad you guys do to. Now, let's stop with all the mushy stuff and get to the chapter. Sincerely, Brayden

"I woke up with a start, grabbing at my neck in pain, I was sweating from the nightmare, still paranoid of what happened that day. I looked around and realized I fell asleep with a bowl of popcorn in my hand, sitting upside down (don't ask me how that happened) with empty boxes of pizza around me. I looked over to see Lena passed out on the floor next to me, with pizza still in her mouth, snoring lightly. I was surprised yesterday at how she kept such a thin figure, while still being able to eat an entire box of pizza in less that 5 minutes. Workouts must be really hard then. Which reminded me, what time is it? I sat upright and looked at the clock, reading 4:00 am. Would explain why it was so dark in here. I figured I might as well get up and take a shower.

I tip-toed over to the shower, trying not to wake Tracer up, and turned it on. I sang in the shower lightly, not trying to wake her up. It became a habit, especially since I wasn't that bad of a singer. I stepped out after 5 minutes and dried off, just now realizing I had no other clothes besides the white shirt and black pants I was given, which had multiple stains on it since the "celebration thingy" as Lena put it. I figured I would use a towel until I found something to wear, so I hoped with all my power that Lena was still asleep, until I could find clothes. There has got to be some sort of laundry room in this place. I opened the door to find Lena wide awake making tea. How very British. I thought. Okay, I'll just sneak by her, and find some clothes, I thought. I swear the floor didn't creak this loud until now. "Hey Brayden, want some tea? I was making some and figured I would..." She was completely turned around, looking at me with her mouth wide open, staring. "Uh... I can explain." I said (spongebob reference, if you get it you are a real MVP) "You know, if you're trying to impress me, you could have just done more fire tricks." She said mockingly. "Uh.. I.. that's..." I stuttered, not being able to fathom what just happened. "Aww, does little ol' Brayden have a crush on me?" She asked, now smirking at me. My cheeks went red. She laughed at me. "I'm just kidding." She said between laughs. "Can you just tell me where the laundry room is?" I said, utterly defeated, but smiling. This was a funny situation after all, and no one likes a stick in the mud. "Yeah, take a right and go down the hallway, and take a left, and ya should be able to see it luv." She said, wiping a tear from her eye, still laughing. I turned around and went out the doorway. Hoping to leave this embarrassing moment, and have it never come up.

Great. I thought. Now I have to walk through these hallways with nothing on but a towel. Not a good way to start my career as a hero in Overwatch. I walked through the bright hallways, just about everything here was either white, or chrome. I ran my fingers through my brown hair, pulling at a strand that always stuck out. Well, better make it to the laundry room quick. I walked through the long hallway and was almost there when I heard a light chuckle. "So this is the new kid. Good first impression, heh." I turned to see Mcree, smoking a cigar, leaning against the wall, smiling. "Heard you got some powers, fire right?" He asked. I nodded. "Want to demonstrate?" I put my hand in the air, putting energy into it, hearing the fire crackle, turning red, and my hair turning an ashy gray. He puffed at his cigar and tilted his hat. "Got potential, lets just see how you aim later today." I nodded at his response, "Thanks sir. Love the hat by the way." I said. I walked off, hearing him say under his breath: "Thanks."

"Welp here it is. Now, where would extra clothes be. I looked around, and found a basket of clothes labeled spare clothes. How convenient, I thought. I saw a note on the basket, it read:

"Spare clothes for you Brayden. Didn't know what your size was, so just grabbed all the clothes we had. Pick what you like. Sincerely, Mercy.

Thanks mom, I thought sarcastically. I picked out a orange Overwatch shirt, and some black pants. And walked back to me and Tracer's room.

""Trying to be my twin mate?" Tracer asked me, while I just realized I was wearing almost the exact same thing she had on. "Oh, sorry." I said. "Don't worry love, always wanted a younger brother. Tell ya what, I'll train with ya if you stay my roommate, how's that?" "Deal." Who wouldn't want to be roommates with Tracer? "Well then, its settled. Ground rules, no wearing towels outside of the bathroom." She joked. "Agreed. So, when do we have to train, sister?" "'Bout an hour, but you may have to go early to learn your powers. Gonna be fun for you, get to talk with Mercy and Jack Morrison (Soldier 76). Then the firing range with Mcree, then hand to hand combat with Genji. Then talk with Winston about your suit that he'll make for you. You get to specially design it yourself. So, ready for that?" She asked. "Yeah! Gonna be fun, can't wait." I heard a knock at the door, me and Tracer went to answer it.

We opened to door to find Mercy at the door, in a lab coat with a clipboard, just like yesterday. She smirked, noticing how we were wearing the same clothes. "I see you two are getting along." She said. "Guess you could say that, am I right?" I gave Tracer a high five. "Well, duty calls, I'll call you over when me and Winston make a suit. We could make something awesome." I said. "Sure thing luv." She said. I waved to her goodbye.

Me and Mercy walked though the long hallways together, she was so much taller in person, and being closer to her made her eyes seem even more pleasant to look at. "Oh and thanks for the spare clothes Mercy." I said. "Oh please, it was nothing. And no need for such formalities, call me Angela." She responded. "Okay Angela, good to be a part of the team. Can't wait to prove what I can do." I said. "Can't wait either Brayden. Have to ask, you didn't seem hesitant to say yes to joining us, are you sure you won't miss anyone? Family, friends?" I turned away. Painful memories started to pop up, of my abusive father, my mom who died giving birth, leading my dad becoming a drunk. "My father was a abusive drunk, and my mother died during childbirth. I never met her. And as for friends, I would rather have a couple of wolves, than a bunch of sheep." I said, choking back tears of my past. I have multiple scars, both physically and mentally from my childhood. The only thing my dad ever cared about was my football career. I hated him with every fiber of my being. "I'm sorry to hear that, Brayden, I'm sorry I asked. Just wanted to know. But thank you for sharing." She said, saddened by what I said. I didn't seem like the kid to have such a bad past, especially with my nice and bubbly behavior. "Don't worry about it, I'm over it now. But I will share with you anything I feel, you are like a mother to me." I said touching her arm. Her cheeks reddened. "Thank you, I'm glad you trust me." She said, smiling.

We walked in silence the rest of the way there. We went into a large training room with a glass window separating me and Mercy and Soldier 76. I walked in, and he shook my hand, "You're a brave kid, good to know people like you still exist." He said, staring down at me, smiling, he didn't have his mask on so I could I could see his face clearly. Despite all the scars, he still had a warmth to his face that made you want to trust him, or even hug him. "Well, what do you want me do sir?" I asked. "We are going to test how you react in certain situations. The dummies we use fire non-lethal rounds, but they still hurt, I recommend not getting hit." He said. They left me in the room and started the first round. A dummy popped up behind me and started to fire, I rolled to side and shot fire at it, burning it with ease. Next stage, a hologram of a building popped up with multiple bastion units on it, firing at me. Rolled to cover, but taking a round to the calf. I cursed under my breath, he wasn't kidding when he said it hurts. I gathered the strength to get up and was fired at multiple times I put my hands in the air, expecting a barrage of bullets to hit me in the face. But instead, I created some sort of fire shielding around me, every bullet fired at me would stop in mid air, and burn to ash. I smirked, and they stopped firing, realizing it was useless, I concentrated one ball of fire into the middle of them, and it exploded. I covered my eyes from the light, turning back around to see nothing but charred remains of robotic parts and rubble.

Final stage. A dummy popped up in front of me, but instead of being a bastion unit, it was a mother holding a crying baby. Bastion units behind me were starting to fire, I used the shield I learned how to make to cover her, she didn't get hit by one bullet, but I got hit by multiple, but I didn't care, I would rather have me get hit than the mother and the baby. Then I pushed all the stopped bullets at the bastion units, hitting them all, they all crumbled to the ground, full of holes.

The holgrams stopped, I was sweating. Both of them came in and congratulated me, surprised at how well I did, especially for a person at my age.

"Now it was time to fire guns with Mcree, so I made my way to the shooting range, where I saw him waiting. "Catch!" He said, flinging a revolver at me, caught it with ease, smiling at him. "Good reactions. Now let's see how ya shoot, boy." He said. Targets with bullseyes in them appeared, I fired, hitting them all. "Not bad if I say so myself." I said. "Don't get cocky. More to come, get ready." I prepared, this gun had a lot of recoil, mostly because of how much firepower it had. 6 targets appeared from the left I fired, reloading and firing to the right. This went on for a couple of minutes, and I got a couple bullseyes, hitting them right on target. "Good shooting kid, how'd you learn how to shoot that well?" He asked. "Went hunting multiple times. I would practice by shooting at rabbits I would see, got pretty good at it after a while." I said. I would do it with my dad too, when he wasn't drunk or hitting me, he wasn't such a bad father. I forced that thought out of my head. "Well not bad. Now you better get going, don't want to be late for Genji." He said. I nodded. I was leaving when I heard him say "Try not to get your ass kicked too much, I like ya kid." "I'll try not to. See ya Mcree." I said and headed out the door.

Now time to practice with Genji. I walked in to see him meditating. I was about to say something when I heard him say: "You're here. Good. May want to work on sneaking skills." I nodded. He stood up. All of a sudden I got nervous. This was Genji, a cyborg ninja who could kick my ass without looking, and he's acting like I'm gonna fight a toddler. "Get in fighting stance my friend, it is time to practice." He bowed and I did the same, readying myself. He charged at me he swung with his right fist which I dodged but he brought up his knee and hit me in the stomach. "Tst. Again!" He said. Doing the same motion, swinging and kneeing, I blocked both, but he added another step and swept my legs. This went on for an hour until I learned his moves, I memorized them all, and actually landed a punch, which hurt me more than it did him. "Good, now onto free fighting. Good luck Brayden." We both bowed. And fought I learned how to counter some moves, but for every hit I got in he hit me with another 15. By the end I had a black eye, a bruise running all the way down my leg, and a dislocated shoulder. But I kept fighting. "I admire you, he said, you have heart, but much to learn." I noticed Mercy walk in and turned to her. I immediately regretted this decision. Genji kicked me in the back of the head, sending me flying into her.

"Then everything went black.

I woke up to see Genji standing over me, and Mercy holding my head, looking into my eyes. "No dilated pupils, no concussion, multiple bruises." She said. "To be honest, you didn't do too bad, I respect you." Genji said, bowing. "Thanks" I croaked, popping my shoulder, hearing it crack into place, I winced, "And thanks for healing me Angela." I said, and I sat up. "You're welcome, and Winston wants to see you, he is going to help you make your suit." Angela said. "Cool, I'm gonna go get Tracer, we agreed she would help me make something "bloody wicked", in her own words."

I knocked on the door to find Tracer in bed, she seemed to be waiting for me. "How'd training go Brayden?" Lena asked. "Good except for getting my ass kicked by Genji." I said smiling. "Oh don't worry, everyone loses to him luv." Lena said. "Well on to the fun part of the day, we're gonna make a suit for me!" I said happily. She practically jumped in the air. "Yay! This is gonna be so cool!" She exclaimed. "Don't you mean 'bloody wicked'?" I mocked in a horrible British accent. She playfully slapped my arm. "I do not sound like that you tit!" She said. We argued the whole way there of how she talks, but I love every moment of it. She is so nice, it's good to be here. I love it!

When we got to Winston's lab we were still arguing, I was laughing at how her cheeks would puff up in frustration. "Winston! Save me from this mad woman!" I sarcastically said. "Come here you bloody wanker!" She was now chasing me. Winston stepped in. "Tracer you can't kill the new guy!" Winston said. "Yeah, besides, we're just having fun right?" I asked. Tracer couldn't help but smirk. We only knew each other for 2 days and we were acting like we go way back. I couldn't help but laugh when I'm with her.

Now that that's solved, its time to make your new suit. I assume you and Lena are gonna design it together?" Winston asked. "Yep, we'll try not to make it too complicated!" Lena said.

The next 2 hours were spent brainstorming, designing, and laughing at each other's ideas. "So how about this. Roadhogs mask, Genjis robotic suit, Mcree's hat, and Mercys wings. How's that sound?" Lena said. "Absolutely horrible. But I did like the mask thing, maybe I could have a gas mask, that could go with the canister in my neck. And it could go with the whole fire thing." I said. "Yeah, and a red hood. Ya know, like Reaper's costume?" Lena added. "Yeah, I like that, and my weapons could be my fire. But my suit would have to be fire retardant. Else I would burn it in two seconds." I said. "Alright. Time to tell Winston!"

Now it was time to wait, we spent hours playing hide and go seek, board games, and other things. "How about a race?" Lena asked. "You already beat me 10 times!" Another hour passed, and me and Tracer were getting really bored, and trust me, Lena bored is horrible. Just running and blinking around you asking questions. "Brayden, Lena, come in here, it's done!" Winston said. "Race ya?" Tracer asked, sure enough, she beat me. "Make that 11 times I've beat you!" Tracer exclaimed. "No fair, you might as well be cheating with your choronal accelerator." I said out of breath. "Come on let's see what my suit looks like!"

I walked in to see Winston holding it in his hands like it was his most prized possession. "Behold, your new suit Brayden!" Winston said. I hugged him, it looked exactly like we pictured it. I thanked him 20 times before actually trying it on. First was the blood red cloak, which fit around me almost like a cape. Then the gas mask, which went perfectly with my gray canister in my neck. Then, the final touch, the hood. I stepped out, "How do I look?" I asked excitedly. Winston gave a thumbs up while Tracer gave me a tight hug. Which I was perfectly okay with, even thought it sort of hurt. "You look... you look..." Lena stuttered, trying to find the words. "...bloody wicked?" I asked humorously. "Aww shut up!" She said. We both went to our room, I slept on the couch, which was surprisingly comfy, and she slept in her bed. It was a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note

Just want to take a moment to thank you guys for the support. You guys are awesome!

Today was the big day! It's my official welcoming ceremony into Overwatch. I've been here for a few weeks now, getting used to my schedule, and making friends. Me and Dva played games for 5 hours straight on one of her streams. She of course beat me. Me and Lucio had been getting along too, we would work on his music, I would be the vocals, and he would make the beats. I had one of our songs stuck in my head for days, singing it in the shower everytime. One time Lena heard me and started to sing along. She surprisingly had a pleasant voice. Reinhardt and the other guys invited me to play poker. I of course had no idea what was going on. One time I slammed my cards down, screaming "Jenga!" I looked around to see Soldier 76 face palm, Mcree pulled his hat down, ashamed to look at me. "What?" I asked. They just sat there in silence.

But it was my day. I was gonna be a hero. Since I had been training twice as hard, I would be able to go on missions too. And if anything Lena had been more excited for it than me. She jumped on me in the morning, "Happy Welcoming Day luv!" She said, smiling with her perfect white teeth. "Thanks, could you get off me, your crushing my chest." I muttered, still tired. "Sorry bout that!" She said, still smiling. I got up, she was twiddling her thumbs, waiting for me to move out of bed. "I'm making breakfast for you. You go freshen up, you need to be sparkling by tonight. Everyone is gonna be so excited!" Lena said, rushing to the kitchen. "Thanks. You're my best friend." I said hugging her. "Love ya!" I said running off into shower. Grabbing clothes, I was not gonna let me forgetting clothes happen again!  
I sang in the shower, excited for today. It was gonna be great. Especially with Tracer planning the whole thing. I swear she said something about a cake.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.

I paused, waiting for Lena to join in. It had become a habit, we became some sort of duo in just about anything we did.

Now it looks as though there here to stay

Nice note Tracer. We both kept singing.

Oh I believe, in yesterday

Suddenly , I'm not half the man I used to be

Theres a shadow hanging over me

Oh yesterday, came suddenly

Why she had to go I don't know

She wouldn't say

I said something wrong now I long

For yesterday

Yesterday

Love was such an easy game to play

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh I believe, in yesterday

I stepped out of the shower, drying off quickly. I smelled breakfest

Is that pancakes?" I called out of the shower. "Yep!" She hollered back. "Hell yeah!" I said, sprinting out of the bathroom. Taking my seat near her. She smiled. We are in silence. But it didn't feel awkward, it felt normal. We had some sort of connection I had never experienced with someone else. I was truly a happy person. "Good song choice by the way. Absolutely adored the Beatles as a child." Lena said. "My father used to play the records whenever he thought of my mom, she apparently loved em too." I replied. Reminiscing of how my life used to be. "I wonder what my dad thinks happened to me?" I wondered. "Well everyone thinks your dead." Lena said calmly. I nearly chocked. What?! "Wait, everyone thinks I'm dead?!" I screamed. "Well yeah luv, it's for your protection. Everyone thinks I'm dead too. Ya get used to it. But hey, I guess you could be like Reaper and say 'death walks among you'." She said in a deep voice, trying to sound like him. I chuckled, she always knew how to make me laugh. "Yeah I guess, just a little weird to find out." I said.

"Oh! Forgot to tell you! I got ya a suit! Ya know, make ya look all fancy an' wot not?" Lena said. "Aww thanks Lena, what would I do without you? You're the best, truly." I replied, feeling amazing inside. I wasn't used to people truly caring about me. It was great. I guess we truly were adopted siblings with how much we cared for each other. "Damn right I am." She replied, pulling me into a hug. "Now I've got to dash, got some plans for later tonight." She said, running out the door before I could say anything. Must be a secret then. So I just sat there and watched TV. I truly had nothing to do. I turned on the news, wondering what was happening. There was a picture of my face on the screen. The reporter talked about me and my life, and tearing up at the report of my death. Guess I was more popular than I thought. "Now we take you to a interview with Brayden's father. It flashed to him. He had bags under his eyes, which were still red from crying. He must have been very restless. He talked about how he missed me, and how he knew he wasn't the best father, but he always loved me. He just wanted to take care of me for my mom.

I turned off the news. Shocked. I felt tears in my eyes. All the emotions I had balled up inside came crawling out. I started to cry, not knowing what was happening. Here was my father who I absolutely loathed, making me pity him, almost loving him again. The tears started flowing like a river now. I couldn't control my feelings anymore. My feelings now controlled me. I heard a knock at the door. Which was then opened. I turned to see Angela, looking at me concerned. She immediately came to me. "What happened? Are you okay?" She asked, wiping my tears, holding me in her arms/em. "I just don't understand. I thought I hated my father, he beat me. But I watched the news, I felt pity for leaving him, I couldn't control myself anymore. I just need to let it out. " I said, still sobbing. "Shh... it's okay, I'm here now." Angela said stroking my hair, gently rocking me back and forth. I couldn't stop it, but I had to, this was my day, I can't let my deadbeat dad ruin it for me.

I finally calmed down, not wanting to let go of our embrace, she felt so nice. The closest thing to a mother I've ever had. We finally let go. She gave me a kiss on the forehead. "Thanks for being here for me, mom." I said, smiling warmly at her. She smiled back. I swear her smile could have lit up the room completely. "Come on its time for your ceremony. " She said, putting me under her arm around me. We walked through the hallways silently.

Everyone was called to the meeting. I suddenly felt nervous. I was in the suit that Tracer got me. I smiled brightly, it was going to be fun. Though the ceremony was rather boring. The cool thing was that everyone cheered for me, my heroes. I should be clapping for them. Everyone was there, Tracer, Winston, Mercy, Genji, Ana, Mcree, Pharah, Zenyatta, Zarya, Mei, Soldier 76, even Bastion. Everyone was clapping, cheering, for me!

Now was where it got crazy, at first it started with me having a large cake with everyone, celebrating. Then it all when downhill (or uphill for some). Everyone started to get drunk, except for me of course. It started with shots, which I served to everyone since I wasn't gonna end up piss drunk like everyone else. Bastion tried to drink, didn't work out well. Someone spiked Winston's peanut butter (probably Tracer). Mcree started to flirt with me, mistaking me for a woman. Eventually even Mercy was getting drunk too, surprisingly so. Zarya challenged me to a arm wrestling contest. "Okay" I said. She was much stronger than me, but I had a trick under my sleeve. She readied, Tracer and Lucio cheered for me. "Ready? Go!" Genji said. We immediately struggled, she was beating me, she chuckled. "Come on luv!" Tracer was screaming next to me. I winked at her and started a fire in my hands. She drew back immediately. But I gripped her harder and pulled her hand down. I laughed, she held her slightly burned hand. I smiled cheekily. "I win." "No fair, you cheat little boy." Zarya responded, her words slurred due to the alcohol. "I don't think I did, did I Genji?" I said. He turned to me, laughing. "I don't think so. Fair and square. What do you think Jack?" Soldier 76 stirred, looking up from his cup. "Ya wanna know what I think? I think you young kids are too crazy. A real warrior always stays focused." He said, clearly drunk. "And you are?" I said sarcastically. "Yes, I'll have you know I ..." he slumped over, falling out of his chair. We all laughed.

Hours past and everyone was starting to slowly stumble there way to there rooms, the party slowly stopping. "Alright Lena, time to ..." I stopped, realizing she was asleep. I picked her up in a firemans carry and took her to our room. I laid her down on her bed. "Goodnight Lena." I whispered. I kissed her forehead, and turned off the lights, laying down, falling asleep before I even hit the couch. It was a tiring day. 


	5. Chapter 5

"Hang on to ya seats loves, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" I heard tracer yell through the intercom. Oh great I thought. Time to throw up. As if this being my first mission didn't make me queasy enough. Zenyatta notice my sickly look and cocked his head as if he was confused. "Keep your head up my friend, I trust in you. Now it is up to you for you to trust yourself." He said. I smiled, Zenyatta was always a good person to talk to. "Yes. Do not worry yourself. I've seen what you can do, you belong here Brayden." I looked over to see Mei say that and smile at me from across the room. "Thanks guys. So Jack..." I looked over to see Soldier 76 polishing his gun, he then looked at me. "What is it Soldier?" He asked. "Who are we going up against, who needs a butt kicking?" I said smirking, popping my knuckles. "Talon forces. We got word that they are terrorizing the city of Egypt. Reason why is unknown so far." He responded. "Think Reaper will be there? I got a bone to pick with him." I said, reminiscing of what happened when he came for me. A chill ran up my spine thinking about him. "Same here kid." Jack responded, smirking.

It had been almost an hour and we were almost there, so we all strapped in and readied ourselves. We only got her so fast because of Lena's reckless flying, she chuckled everytime we had to make a quick maneuver, almost like she knew I was about to throw up. Mercy sat next to me, along with Winston who looked rather uncomfortable in the small seats we had. I laughed lightly. Genji, Zenyatta and Reinhardt sat in front of me, and Mei and Soldier 76 sat diagonally from me. I shot everyone a smile, to which everyone smiled back at. "Hang on to your seats!" I heard Lena say. Oh god I thought. Not again. We rolled completely sideways, everything falling over, I had to duck as a basketball flew out the open window behind me. "Whew, that was a close one." I muttered. We made another maneuver to which I held my stomach. "Not used to Lena's flying I see?" Winston asked, adjusting his glasses. This was gonna be a bumpy few minutes.

We finally made it to the ground. I immediately felt safer than before. I walked out the opening door in front of me. I stood for a moment, taking in the sights. I stretched, and smiled. Mercy was out next. I turned to her. "You can go throw up now." She said calmly. I nodded, running to the nearest bush, and losing my lunch. I don't know if it was my nerves or if Lena was really that reckless at flying. I wiped my mouth and gathered myself. This was it, my first mission.

"What did I miss?" I said, following their tracks into the town. They all turned to me. Their eyes widened. "Brayden get back!" Lena said running towards me. I heard a gun shot and felt pain run through my arm. I groaned, and ran to cover. I saw mercy and signaled that I was okay. A shootout commenced between the agents and the Talon agents. I saw Reinhardt hold his shield up, to which I ran behind, throwing fire at the enemy, hitting them directly. I turned to see Tracer blinking around, firing wildly at the opposite side. Mercy was healing a wound that Mei had taken to the head, I turned to help Genji, he was deflecting bullets. "Genji! Reflect this!" I said, firing a ball of fire at his sword, to which he angled at the enemies, burning them all. "Thanks, I'll handle it from here" he said. I ran off, helping who ever I could.

Then I hear a deep voice, the one that caused all of this for me. I turned, "Reaper." I growled. "My my, you've grown. They overworking you down at Overwatch headquarters?" He chuckled. I sprayed fire, burning everything around him except him, it went straight through him. I cursed. "Let me make this fair." Reaper said, throwing his guns down, cracking his neck. We squared up, having a stare down for a good while. I remembered Genji's teachings, I swung first, he dodged, countering me with his own punch. I blocked it and punched him square where his nose would be. He laughed. He swung to the right and kicked to the left, I dodged the kick but got hit in the mouth. I spat a bit of blood out. I sweeped his legs and started to ground and pound him. He rolled over, punching me multiple times, his claws were digging into my face. I screamed. He laughed. His fingers went near my eyes, before I could get him off me he scratched my eye, it started to bleed, I couldn't see out of eye. I punched him in the throat, hitting him in multiple arteries. He gasped for breath. I took the chance to run for it.

Lena's POV

"Too slow!" I yelled, shooting multiple Talon marines in the head, I looked over to see Winston slamming multiple agents around. I almost felt bad for them. Almost. They started to retreat, finally seeing they had no chance. "Group up!" I heard Jack say. I raced to him. I saw Genji standing there with his arms folded. "First." He said almost triumphantly. "No fair, you're a crazy cyborg ninja." I complained, pouting, putting my lower lip out. We waited for the rest of us to return. We then noticed that Brayden was still missing. "Aww ya know Brayden, always likes to show up fashionably late." I said, forcing the thought aside.

We waited for 3 more minutes before deciding to talk to him through the comms. We were just about to check when we heard; "Angela? Lena? Jack? Anyone?! I can't see, that asshole Reaper clawed into my eye. I think I'm alone." *loud bang* We all heard with looks of horror on our faces as we heard him scream, pleading for help, calling my name. "No!" I screamed. I ran to his coordinates, not even bothering to wait for the rest of my teammates. I could hear their footsteps sounding behind me though, so they weren't too far. Don't make me lose him! I love him so much! He is like a little brother to me! Please, don't take him from me. This is the first time I had prayed in years.

I could hear his screams now, and every hit and gunshot he took. His heart rate on his monitor was starting to fade. "Don't worry love! The calvary's here!" I said my signature catch phrase, blinking into the room, shooting multiple armed guards. I looked up to see Widowmaker smirking over a motionless body. "No!" I screamed. I ran to his side, pulling off his mask, that had a hole where his eyes are. I gasped at the sight. He was mutilated. He was missing an eye, had multiple gashes on his face, a bullet wound through his abdomen and out the other side. Part of his face was burned, still raw to the touch. He had blood trickling out of his mouth. I turned, angrier than I had ever been. I tackled her, forcing her arms to the ground. "He was only a boy! Why?!" She wiggles free, shooting a hook into the roof of the building and gliding out. I had tears in my eyes. I ran to Brayden's side. I stroked his short hair, crying into his chest, hoping to find any trace of life in him. He was slightly breathing. I looked into his eye. He looked to be in shock. "Lena? Am I still pretty?" He said, barely forcing a smile on his scarred face. I smiled back, nodding. "Good, I need to be a handsome son of a bitch, even now." He coughed up blood, spitting out two teeth. "Well there goes my dental work." He smiled crookedly. His eyes started to dim. "Goodbye Lena, love ya big sis." He croaked. He went limp. "No don't leave me! Come on, wake up! Mercy! Do something!" I screamed desperately. Mercy wiped her tears immediately and picked him up bridal style. We loaded him in the medical bag on the aircraft we used and left. It was a silent ride back home.

3rd Person

They all spent there time with him in the bay. Watching him sleep almost peacefully as his chest rose up and down. Even breathing was a reassuring sight after what he had endured. Genji and Zenyatta meditated by his side, as if they were praying. Winston read him a chapter of his favorite book: The Lord of the Rings, hoping he was awake to hear it. Mei made a snowball and put it in his hand, and made sure it wouldn't melt, freezing it completely. And Reinhardt surprisingly just felt his hand and prayed. He was a very humble man. He had grown to like Brayden for his heart and courage.

But then it was Lena and Mercy's turn. They never left his bedside. Lena left the plane on autopilot, and they both cried. Blaming themselves, hoping he would wake up soon. They wanted to see his crooked but still honest and charming smile, his funny and outgoing personality, which made him and Lena get along so well. Mercy wanted the person she had grown to love like a son come back. She would not be able to live with herself. His wounds were healed, but it was up to his willpower if he was to make it out the coma he was in. He still smiled even when in a deep sleep, he was such a good person. If anything, he brought a new light to the family of Overwatch. They finally got to the headquarters, greeted by many confused and concerned agents, all asking what happened, but were all ignored by Lena and Angela. They rushed Brayden to the medical center, and holding his hand the whole way.

They set him up on the table, they had to take multiple bullets out of his abdomen, and pull one out of his bicep. "Everything seems to be in order. His vital signs are good and he should be okay. He just needs rest Lena." Mercy put a hand on her shoulder comforting her. "We all care for him, but we can't stay in here the whole time. You need your rest." Mercy said. "I'll rest when I'm dead." Lena mumbled. Mercy bent down, looking into her brown eyes. "Sitting here won't wake him up. The best thing we can do is make sure we are ready when he does wake up." Mercy said seriously. Lena took a minute to pause and think. "You're right Angela, I'll leave in a few minutes. I just got to say some words to me mate." She said. Mercy left her, going to take a well needed rest. "I miss ya already Brayden, you're my best mate ya know that. I hope you can hear me. You are the best thing to happen to me in a while. Me and you are the duo, and I'm sure as hell not going solo. So if you can hear me, can you give me a sign?" She said. She looked into his now one eye, hoping to see his eyes flutter open. But nothing. She was just about to leave when his hand rested on her head, tugging at a strand of her hair. She looked up. "Brayden?"

Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger but I always thought they were cool. I'll probably update tomorrow. Until then my peeps.


	6. Chapter 6

I awoke to blinding lights, and the faint sound of sobbing, the lights above me dancing around the room, lighting the entire place. The figure's brown hair becoming lighter at every moment, I was too dazed to see anything. I couldn't move, some cast was holding me down, I wanted to touch her, tell her it was alright. But it was like I was in a prison. I watched her for a minute, she confessed how she cared for me, how she blamed herself for my situation. The details started to come back to me, I could see what happened earlier today. _I thought I died!_ I thought to myself. My vision became less blurry, I could see Lena's hair, I missed the way it almost defied gravity, the way she made me feel. Hell I missed even being able to blink! She was still in her gear, her goggles foggy from her tears, her arms covered in blood, along with her face. I needed to say something. I couldn't let her think I'm dead! I mustered all the strength I had, my bones and muscles ached, but I pushed through. "Hi.." I could barely mutter. It sounded like a completely different person saying it due to its lack of my personality.

Lena jumped from her spot on my chest, her tears stained my clothes, along with my own blood. She covered her mouth, shocked to hear me at all. "Brayden?" She asked. I smiled. God that hurt. But it was worth it, I got a hug from my favorite person in the world. I groaned. She let go of me, scared to hurt me. "So all it takes to get a hug from you is to get shot? I'll keep that in mind Lena. Sorry if you felt lonely without me sis." Her palm connected with my left cheek. I held my cheek. She may have skinny arms but she packed a punch. She kissed my forehead, holding me tightly in her arms. "You scared me so bad ya know that you bloody tit. I thought ya left me for good. I thought you were a goner I did." Lena said, still tearing up. She let go of the embrace. "Don't ever do that again!" She scolded me. I cheekily smiled, she was so funny to see angry, the way her nose would crinkle when she got irritated always found a way to tickle my funny bone. "Okay mum, whatever you say." I said sarcastically. "Now now, you know that Angela is your mum." She teased. "I'll admit, I love her like a mom." I held my hands up, signaling defeat. "Speaking of Mercy, I'll go get her, tell her you are awake. See ya love!" She said, doing her signature two finger salute and sprinting off to find Angela.

I sighed. "Gee, dying really sucks man." I said to myself. "Tell me about it." Genji said sarcastically, leaning against the doorway. I held my chest, scared of how quickly he got in here. "Anyone tell you that you are a sneaky son of a bitch." I said. Genji chuckled. " I may have heard that somewhere. It is good to see you again Brayden." He said bowing. "Likewise. I would bow, but ya know, the whole coma part really takes a lot out of ya." He nodded, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

 _So, first I go on my first mission, get shot, make Lena cry, almost die and go into a coma, and now I'm in a bed and I can't move except for talking and blinking. Not bad if I say so myself._

Mercy and Lena returned, and Angela clearly had just been woken up, seeing as she had her pajamas on and bags under her eyes, and her hair in a messy bun. She still found a way to be beautiful, in a mom sort of way to me. She smiled, and her smile lit up the room brighter than the lights to me. She quickly ran over and hugged me, her hair coliding with mine. We both held each other, both of us scared that we may never see each other again. "Well you know the drill, how many fingers am I holding..." "Two" I interrupted. She was taken aback. "How did you know I was gonna say that?" She questioned. I rose up. "Maybe it was some spooky magic?!" I started making ghoul noises and cackling maniacally. Both Lena and Angela looked at me puzzled. "What? It's October isn't it. Ya know, Halloween." They still looked confused. "Really, you don't celebrate Halloween around here? You have got to be kidding. It's tradition where I come from. You guys are just trying to trick me aren't you?" "We have no idea what you are talking about" Lena said shaking her head. Mercy stood up, and grabbed Lena by the collar. Lena looked puzzled as to what was going on. They talked outside for what seemed like hours. They finally came back. "Are you feeling well? You've been speaking gibberish the entire time, luv?" I shook my head. "You guys have to know Halloween!" I said, still not believing they had no idea what Halloween was. "Lena he is still shell shocked my dear. He must not know where he is." They went on and on about how I was hallucinating and talking about a holiday that never existed. I eventually accepted it, thinking I was insane. They were good at persuading me. "I never knew Halloween never existed?" I asked puzzled. Then they both broke out into laughter, if that's what you could call it. They were both gasping for breath, wiping tears away from their eyes. "He really fell for it." Lena said between laughs, they both held onto each other, literally not able to stand due to all their laughter. "Oh ha ha. Very funny." I said crossing my arms. It had been another minute until they stopped laughing at me. Each time I tried to excuse my rather dumb decision to believe them. "You guys are very persuasive! It's not my fault! Good job you guys, picking on a 13 year old who just got shot." I said, getting more and more irritated. My cheeks were as red as apples, I was so embarrassed, trying to hide it.

They finally calmed down. "Sorry Brayden but it was too good. You should have seen your face." Angela said smiling. "God I wish I had a camera with me!" Lena said. "Okay, I'll admit it was pretty funny." I said. "It's good to see you guys again." I said. "I thought I would never see you again." "Same here. We are clearly going to have to keep you in here longer though, some of your injuries are still life threatening. But then you can be back in the fight within a week!" Mercy said. "Great, now I have to be in here for a week." I said. "Oh it won't be that bad!" Tracer said. "Yeah we'll still be here to keep you company!" Mercy said. "Gee thanks mum, now I'm stuck with you two all week." I said, secretly happy I get to spend more time with them.

3 weeks later...

I stretched, rejoicing at finally being able to get out of bed. I had gotten used to only having one eye. I still had bandages around my head so people didn't have to see it. Because trust me, everyone would throw up when they had to have dinner together with me just seeing it. But apparently it would eventually get cleaned up and just look like a hole. And to honest I looked pretty cool, it helped with my severely lacking intimidation factor since I was only a 13 year old boy. I eventually got a eyepatch, to which Lena made fun of me for looking like a "a bloody idiot" as she put it. I started to train twice as hard, pushing myself to the limit every time, me and Zarya would meet every morning and work out together. She clearly enjoyed the company, probably because it gave her some competition. I was becoming stronger now, almost looking like a 16 year old due to my now stocky size. But I still had my playful side as well, me and Lena would race each other everytime to see who could get their dinner first. I won only twice, while she had one 19 times. Me and Winston worked on making a bionic eye so I could see through walls. Me and Reinhardt worked on armor. I finally felt like a part of the family. I felt like they trusted me as much as I trusted them. I had been on a couple missions now, and got a reputation for my quips and jokes when I would battle someone. It was always a competition between me and Lena to see who could have the best catchphrases. Life is going good now.

Authors note

im probably going to update again tonight so keep your eyes peeled my friends. Once again thanks for all the support. See ya later!


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note

Thanks for all the support. I'm trying to find a way to balance out action and humor. I'm going to make this chapter much more lighthearted than the last ones. Shout out to Kadence Margo for all the support and reviews. Thanks. I appreciate and read all reviews. Now on with the story.

"All agents report to Winston's Lab, we have a large mission debriefing." Athena said over the intercom.

I awoke with a start, sitting up right on the couch. I stretched, hearing multiple pops, my muscles aching from my previous workouts and endeavors. I had no intention of getting up today, especially this early. Lena was the complete opposite in the other hand, always enjoying every moment of the early hours. Then again she could control her own time, she could sleep for 8 hours in her time but it would actually be 5 minutes in real time. I envied the way she got up with a joyous smile on her face, the way she always said "Mornin' luv!"

I started to doze off again, sleep taking me away into its sweet embrace... until I was introduced to my gear in my face, I jumped, and my eyes finally snapped open, to see Lena as happy as always, with her gear on, her goggles in one hand, her other holding a mug of tea. "Mornin' luv!" She said, almost jumping. Everytime she spoke it was like an adrenaline rush. I suddenly felt the urge to put my gear on. I carefully slid into my hood and robe, connecting my belt. I held my mask in one hand, trying to blink the tired out of my eyes (or eye). I opened the door, ready to leave. I started to walk out, but heard Tracer running after me. She sprinted past me saying "Race ya?" I only smirked as a response and sprinted after her.

We both reached the lab before anyone else, both panting. "No fair, you went (gasp for breath) before I was ready!" I complained, still not able to breathe properly yet. "Or, maybe I'm just quicker than you thought!" She replied. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. " I said sarcastically. We both sat down, waving at everyone who made their way into the room. We were like kids at a candy shop whenever we were called together to do a mission. We both always went with each other. Even when it was a lone wolf mission, one of us would sneak aboard the planes.

Once everyone sat down, Winston walked up front. "Good morning everyone!" He said. Me and Lena were the only ones to repeat it back over a barely audible mumble seeing as it was only 3:00 in the morning. "We have a very big mission at hand. The safety of Numbani is in our hands." That got everyone's attention. Winston debriefed us on how Talon forces had been taking hold of villages for resources and how they must have a base nearby. "We will all be going to Numbani to investigate anything suspected to be in relation to the recent Talon sightings. We will all be given partners to explore the city and stop what is happening." Winston informed us. "I call Lena!" I said. At the same time Lena exclaimed "I call Brayden!" Everyone chuckled at our banter as always. "Can I be lone wolf?" Mcree questioned. "Mcree and Hanzo it is then." Winston exclaimed, writing a list down to keep track. Mcree folded his arms and tipped his hat, almost pouting. "Aww cheer up, Hanzo is pretty cool. Besides, I think you guys make a cute couple." I said laughing. The entire base broke out into laughter, as Mcree slouched down in his chair even more. Hanzo on the other hand laughed at the joke. He was a nice guy in my book, he just got a bad wrap in my opinion.

Once everybody was situated with who their partners were, we had to pack normal clothes as most people would say. I simply wore a grey hoodie and jeans, with a t-shirt under my hoodie to cover my bandages. I pulled the hood down so people wouldn't get scared seeing a 13 year old with one eye. Lena wore a simplistic get up, wearing a orange t-shirt and jeans. It was weird to see everyone one in normal clothes, well except of Genji who just had to deal with it. Maybe we could just say he was a person who really liked Genji. And Winston on the other hand, that's a whole other problem. Anyways we boarded and all sat together with our partners, talking about where to look, and what to do. But me and Lena decided on just winging it. Visiting a bunch of places and hanging out until we found them or someone else did.

It was a long ride there, with everyone talking amongst themselves. Lucio played basketball with me and a few others. Winston, Mercy and Soldier 76 were talking with each other about where they think Talon might be, Zarya lifted weights, and the others just sat either watching the basketball game or slept, it was only 4:00 in the morning so nothing wrong with catching some shut eye. Once we landed we all grabbed our luggage, which was rather large since we had no idea how long we would be gone. "Everyone gather around, Winston has something to tell us." Jack said. We all fell in line and saluted. "I have a surprise for all of you. Due to our recent accomplishments, we will all granted rooms at fancy hotels all around the city. " We all cheered, even Jack seemed happy, weird he was a rather nice person when you get to meet him.

We all went our separate ways wishing each other farewell, and made our way to our hotels. We came across a rather large building, with fountains, at least 10 pools, and was at least 20 acres long. Both Lena and I were in shock, my jaw dropped. "Is that fountain golden?" Lena asked. I shrugged, still not believing where we were supposed to stay. This was great. We made our way in, to meet a rather nice receptionist, a nice smile to see in rather dark times. She gave us our keys. We were on our way when a small girl tugged at Lena's pants, Lena turned over and smiled. I looked over to see her (what I assume to be her parents) smiling, almost as excited to see people from Overwatch in the same hotel. "Are you two those heroes who protect us?" The girl asked. I only smiled at Lena who said yes, before saying "The world could always use more heroes!" catchphrase. The girl smiled at both of us before running back to her parents.

"Well that was cute." Lena said, smiling as she walked proudly. I chuckled "I use to be just like that, still am to be honest." I said. "First time I've ever been glad to be shot." I joked, which earned a laugh out of the Brit in response. We walked over to our room. "Well, lets hope it's as good as the outside of the hotel." I said.

It was somehow even better. There two king size beds, our own jacuzzi, two bathrooms, a irregularly large sofa, a refrigerator as tall Reinhardt, and a large flat screen tv with multiple gaming systems. would be jealous. I thought to myself. "This is absolutely brilliant!" She screamed, jumping onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief. I ran to the fridge. "Oh yeah! Look what I found!" I said, holding multiple boxes of chocolates. I started to stuff my face with everyone I could get my hands on. "Oi give me some!" She said while taking them and running off to eat her own portion of it, or whatever was left. I ran to the tv screen, flipping it on. I relaxed into the sofa. "So this is what heaven must feel like?" I said. "Closest thing I could think of." Lena said, still eating chocolates. She took a seat next to me, smiling devilishly at me. "What do you want now?" I asked. "I just got comfy!" I complained. She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. She opened the door to the patio, which had a large jacuzzi and a swimming g pool in the center of it. She broke out into a sprint. "Canon ball!" She screamed, before tucking her legs into her chest and jumping in, spashing the water all over me. "Aww come on, now your gonna get it!" I flung off my shirt. I sprinted to the pool, before stopping. I looked down, seeing multiple bandages, and reaching for my head, where my eye would be, feeling the material over where my eye should be. I frowned before turning away.

Lena's POV

Aww, I feel bad for the kid, I guess I'll get out, that was sort of dumb of me to do. I got out, soaking wet, I dried off and ran to go comfort him, I touched his shoulder before he turned away, not wanting to look at me. "Look it's okay, I shouldn't have done that." I said, feeling guilty. "Aww come on don't be mad at me Brayden!" He only turned away more. "Only on one condition." He muttered. "Sure, anything for you luv." He turned to me, smiling. "You get into the pool!" He said before charging into me and picking me up, and belly flopping into the pool, bringing me with him.

Brayden's POV

She rose up, gasping for breath, flipping her hair back, her eyes wide. She playfully smacked me. "Hey, that's not nice!" I said, splashing water at her, both giggling. Before we knew it we were having a fight under water, swimming, talking, and gossiping. We started playing matchmaker to match up all the agents of Overwatch that we thought had feelings for each other. "Jack and Angela!" She exclaimed. "Now that I think about it, that works, not bad Lena."

We both kept chatting with each other, when room service rolled by. We answered and were greeted with a lady who did not speak English. It was a struggle to see what she wanted, and we both decided on forgetting about it, we both just pointed her on her way to the next door. We both sat down on the sofa, drinking soda and relaxing. I decided I would turn on the news and see if we could find anything about the Talon operations, but my efforts proved fruitless as I didn't find and clues of Talon's whereabouts. I sighed and rubbed my temples, frustrated. We needed to find out why and where they were here so we stop these criminals from terrorizing the citizens. "Don't worry luv, we'll stop em." Lena tried to reassure me."I know, I'm just worried I'll fail like before. I don't want to let you guys down." I said. "You're too hard on yourself you know that?" She said, grabbing me and nuzzling my head. I smiled at her.

My mind interrupted our little wrestling match. "What's wrong luv?" Lena asked, looking around. I put a finger up to her mouth, shushing her, I got up and tip toed to the door. My hand started to spark with fire, I heard someone outside, I started to get nervous, I opened the door quickly, seeing no one. I closed the door, shrugging, I turned to see and Lucio sitting on the couch. "What the... how.." I stuttered, rubbing my eye to make sure I was seeing correctly. Lucio smiled at me. Dva was focused on a game on her phone. "Went through the back door." said, pointing behind her, not even looking up from the screen.

"Wasn't expecting company, could've told us." Lena said. "Yeah but what's the fun in that?" Lucio said. "So." I said while finding a seat on the couch. "Why are you guys here?" I asked. "Well we were looking around for anything suspicious when over here got bored, now we're here." Lucio said. "Well since you're here me and could play some games, I need a rematch! You guys up to play too?" I said. They both nodded./p  
p style="text-align: left;"We played games for hours, me and going back and forth with taunts like "git gud" or "scrub". Me and Lena were team 1 and and Lucio were team 2. It was a very close match, with all of us going st each other's throats, but still having fun. Me and Lena would get up and dance whenever we won and Lucio would play music everytime his team won. We kept playing, I looked around, realizing it was dark, and looked at the clock, it said it was 12:04. I paused it and grabbed a hat of the coat hanger and tipped in down, I said "Would you look at the time? Its high noon. " I pulled out two fingers using them as imaginary pistols and fired at them. "Wait really, its midnight?! I gotta get to my concert!" Lucio exclaimed. He grabbed by the wrist and ran out the door, we waved goodbye to both of them. Lena yawned, placing the controller down. "I'd say we did some good hero things Lena." I said sarcastically. "Hey, maybe today could be our lazy day?" Lena said, walking over to her bed. I chuckled lightly, "Yeah, maybe." I said. "Goodnight Lena, I'll tidy up around here." "Goodnight Brayden." I smiled. I picked up some chips left on the floor, put the controllers away and plopped on my bed, just resting my eyes (or eye). Sleep soon took me. I was whisked away to the sweet rhythms of Lucio's music playing several blocks away.


	8. Chapter 8

"Brayden, help!" Angela screamed, taking multiple hits to the chest, I covered her with my shield, I ran to her side, she was dead. "Why couldn't you save her?!" Jack screamed. He was then shot by Reaper, he hit the ground dead, I could hear him chuckle in my ear. I turned to shoot at him, but all I saw was Lucio be killed next, blown up, Zarya trying to shield me and was shot. Zenyatta taking multiple shots to the head, I turned to see Genji holding off a horde of Talon agents until Widowmaker finished him off, Mei was taken out by multiple agents, Symettra was shot too! Bastion was turned into scrap metal, his bird flying off. I went to help Mcree but I couldn't move, all I could do was watch, paralyzed in fear. As everyone I knew and loved was gunned down in front of me, all while I could hear their screams. I let them down. I fell to my knees, defeated.

Everything went black. I awoke to see Reaper above me. I was surrounded by Talon agents, there were enough to block out any light there could be. We were defeated. I was in a chair, tied down, I scrambled and kicked, trying to escape. Reaper only stepped out of the way in response, behind him a tied and bound Lena, with a terrified look on her face. Reaper slowly walked over to her, chuckling with each loud step, as he got closer and closer to her, I became more panicked. I was too dazed to escape, and it was no use, we were surrounded. He ran his finger along her cheek, leaving a scratch. She was crying, not able to speak up, she had tape around her mouth. Her goggles were cracked and she had blood all over her gear.

Reaper raised his gun to her head, laughing lightly, but I could hear it perfectly, along with Angela whispering "You let me down, you let all of us down." I could see shadows appear and approach me, as they got closer I could make out their faces, the faces of those I failed, all of Overwatch, the world. I started to cry, trying to cover my ears, but no matter how hard I tried they just got louder and louder, until it was deafeningly loud, enough to drive me insane. Then everything went silent, all I could hear was Lena's muffled sobs. I wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't speak, I tried to touch her but it was like she didn't know I was there. "Lena? Lena!" I said, trying to get her attention, but she wouldn't budge. I was going to have to watch. I felt completely powerless, Reaper was staring at me the whole time, probably smiling under that mask. "This, is what will happen one day Brayden, mark my words. Your death and the death of everyone you love is inevitable, there is no point to fight for a lost cause." Reaper said. "Just to prove it, watch, as I take whom you love, and you will do nothing, finally accepting that you are worthless, just as everything you fight for." He pulled the trigger. The last thing I saw was Lena's lifeless body slumped over.

"No!" I screamed. "I didn't fail you!" I was awake now. But I could still see Lena dead, forever scorched into my memory.

Lena's POV

"No!" He screamed, "I didn't fail you!" he was looking me right in the eyes, tears flowing from his one eye. He was shaking, covering his ears as if there was someone talking to him. I went over to his side, shaking him with all my might, trying to wake him up from this trance. He kept shaking his head, repeating my name over and over. "Oi, Brayden! I'm right here! Stay with me mate!" It was unbearable to see him like this, he was such a good person, whatever is tormenting him must be bad. "I'm right here Brayden!" I slapped him.

Brayden's POV

I awoke with a start, my cheek hurting. I could see Lena, she was alive! I hugged her as I never had before, scared I had lost her for good, never wanting to see that vision again. It felt like forever since I had contact with something real, that dream was too realistic, I vowed to never let that happen. She broke from my embrace, clearly scared. "What happened, why were you screaming my name?!" She questioned seriously. The horrible memories flooding into my head, causing me to tear up. I broke into tears, falling into her arms. "I saw everyone get killed, each and every one of us, I had to watch as you... you..." I was starting to choke up. She held me closer. "Don't worry luv, it's just a nightmare, we are still here." She assured me. "You don't understand, I can never get that vision out of my head, it may happen and I will let you all down. Oh Lena, I will never be able to unsee it. You died in front of me, as I was forced to watch." I said shaking. "You know damn well I won't let that happen, I'm never leaving you, remember?" Lena said seriously, tears forming in her eyes.

We sat there for a good few minutes not saying anything. The communicator on my bedside desk lit up, clearly having a message. "I'll get it." I muttered. I touched the center of it, and a hologram of a tired Winston showed up. "Hello everyone! I see you all got my message. We have found the base! It's near the capital of Numbani. It is a storage facility stockpiling weapons and ammunition for Talon operatives. We will meet at midnight at my coordinates, sneak in, and blow it up. Simple." He said. The communicator shut down and the message ended there. I turned to see Lena right behind me. "Hey Lena!" I called to her. "You know how you promised you won't leave me?" I asked. She nodded. "Well I was thinking I would do the same thing, the dynamic duo can't just have one committed partner." I pulled out a necklace that I wore a lot. "It was given to me by my Dad before he became the drunken mess he is now. I wanted you to have it, so if we get separated, it could be like I'm still there." I said smiling. "Oh luv, I can't take this, you should keep it." She said. "Please? I'll be your best friend!" I begged and pleaded. "I thought I was your best friend!" She said shocked. "I don't know, me and Lucio have been kicking it off recently." I said smirking. She rolled her eyes, accepting my gift. We didn't have to say any words, our look was all that was needed. Words would be redundant at this point.

11:43 pm.

"Lena! You ready?!" I called down to her, slipping into my hood. She always took so long. "Some people don't have such easy gear to put on!" She called out to me, I rolled my eyes. "Ditch the skin tight pants then." I said putting on my belt. "Are you kidding?! That's like Jason Vorhees without the hockey mask!" She yelled from her bedroom. "Ya know, in some of the movies he doesn't have the mask." I said shrugging. "Oh shut up ya tosser!" She called while stepping out. "Happy now?" She asked. "Always wanted to see what I would look like in that get up." I said, imagining me with a pilots jacket saying "Cheers luv!". She simply smiled and rolled her eyes. "Seriously! Imagine me with that hair ya got there. I'd look sexy indeed!" I said stroking my rather short brown hair compared to Lena's. "We could make a rather cool duo." She admitted stroking her hair. "Right. Let's bail!" She said jumping out the window. "Aww come on you know I hate heights!" I said. "Eh, to hell with it!" I shrugged, before front flipping out the window.

10 minutes later

We were one of the first ones here besides Winston. "Hey big guy." I said to Winston, giving him a slight pat on the back, "What's the plan?" I said. He then went through a boring plan with just about every single detail planned out. So boring. You go through the vents blah blah blah. You plant the bomb blah blah blah. We leave blah blah blah. Ice cream blah blah blah celebration. Yippie, time to kick some butt!

He finally finished explaining to everyone their jobs, and we got to it. I was to be lowered in to the vents due to my small size and I was the only one who could fit. I would then call in Genji, Tracer, and Mcree for back up just in case things go south. We then sneak through, do some recon, Ana snipes some agents, Winston plants the bomb, Mercy heals people just in case, and done, mission accomplished. Ba da bing ba da boom.

I crawled through the vents, the air was stuffy. "Ugh they could really dust this place up man, needs cleaning." I said through the communicator. "Well you're not supposed to be in those anyway." Lena responded. I felt my allergies getting the better of me, I could feel my nose starting to burn. "Uhh, guys? I think I'm gonna sneeze." I whispered. "You better not young man!" I heard Angela say. "Okay okay geez. Man can't even sneeze around here." I said sarcastically.

I jumped down from the vent, landing silently behind two guards. I took off my rather hard mask and smacked both of them with it. I slipped it back on, smirking. "Works everytime. Alright you guys, you can come in now, follow my coordinates." I said. "You got it." Lena said. I sat and waited for 3 minutes, until they came across me. "Guess I'll lead the way." I said, we crouched low, sneaking past guards, taking a few out on the way. We had to reach the center of the base and plant the bomb with Winston. Little did we know, it was heavily guarded. "Well shit." Mcree cursed. "Alright, here is the plan, I'm going to short out some wires with some new inventions I made, you all wait for the signal." Winston said through the communicator. We sat there for a few seconds, until the lights went out, shrouding us in darkness. I could just barely make out where we were going, taking out a few guards until we reached the center of the base.

"Alright, Winston, I'm opening the doors. Winston?" I said. The lights came on, blindingly so. We were surrounded by agents. Flashbacks started to come to me, it was almost like my dream. Their guns were trained on us. "Uhh... hi?" I said lightly. "Open fire!" The commander yelled, and with that they unleashed hell upon us. I jumped in front, blocking it with a shield of fire. "You guys do your thing, I'll cover you!" I screamed. And with that, Genji was off, slicing away at the Talon operatives. Tracer used her pulse bombs and chucked multiple, causing mayhem. And Mcree was just firing away, as happy as can be. Some agents were down but not enough to keep them off me while I planted the bomb. "Everyone duck!" I screamed, turning into a blazing fire, firing wildly around me, if you were near me you were either dead or horribly burned. My fellow agents looked in amazement as I took each and everyone out.

"Well that was a doozy." I said, exhausted. "Time to plant the bomb and get out of 'ere" I said. It took a few minutes but Winston gave me the bomb and I planted it, "Alright put this do-hickey here, connect that, cut this wire, and... viola!" I turned to them smiling wildly. I started to walk away when I noticed a laser pinned on me. "Brayden!" Lena yelled, jumping in front of me, blocking the bullet. She hit the floor, I turned to her, praying she was okay. Her choronal accelerator was damaged, with sparks flying out. "No no no, Lena, stay with me." I said, she was fading in and out of time, slipping through my grasp. "We need to get her out of here, now!" Winston said. I only nodded in return, picking Lena up, carrying her through the base, all while dodging, and taking a few bullets so she didn't get hit. I was bleeding profusely, one of my ribs broken, but Angela could heal all of it, I kept running. We were outside, the helicopter waiting for us outside, I loaded Lena in, and everyone else got in as well. "I'll hold em off until the bomb goes off." I said, wiping my tears from my eye, I needed to concentrate. "Are you crazy? You'll surely die!" Angela said. "I almost died once, not afraid to do it again." I said. I ran out, closing the hatch. There were hundreds of them, I held my shield up, blocking everything. Just 24 more seconds. It was gonna be a long 24 seconds, I held it for 15 seconds, but my shield gave out. They were reloading, but I was gonna have to take a few bullets, I took multiple to the chest, not being able to count how many. "Don't leave me!" Lena's voice sounded in my head. I stood up, screaming at the top of my lungs, running into the gunshots coming at me, my rage building inside of me, I ran into the middle of them, becoming a ball of fire, exploding, along with the bomb inside the base, killing everyone.

Angela's POV

"No!" I screamed, banging on the glass, as the bomb exploded, with Brayden near it. Jack's hand touched my shoulder comforting me. I started to cry. "He's gotta still be there!" Mcree said. "I'm going to find him." He stood up, as the helicopter landed near what was left of the base. We all followed him. We searched for 10 minutes, looking for him. "Oh god. No!" I yelled. His hood was laying on the ground, along with a cracked and bloodied mask. They were both charred and burned, barely recognizable. I picked them both up, crying, we all gathered around mourning, Mcree took off his hat, Jack saluted, Winston sobbed slightly, Genji knelt beside the cloak, and I was left to cry. It was silent as we all mourned for his loss. "Anyone... got something... to eat?" I heard a familiar voice say. I turned to see Brayden, limping over, completely soaked red with blood, smiling. He fell into my arms, fainted. I took him in to the medical bay, along with Tracer, they both slept there, one more peacefully than the other, as Lena kept blinking in and out of time. We need to get them home ASAP. I thanked the heavens for them both still being alive, as stubborn as they are. They certainly love each other.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note  
Im gonna try and make this chapter longer than the others because I feel like they are too short. I've been trying to find time to do these and I decided I should make them longer if I'm going to update weekly.

I awoke to the familiar sound of the humming lights and the faint beeping of a heart monitor. The medical bay, ugh. I rolled over, trying to go back to sleep, taking multiple sleeping positions until I finally got comfy. That was until I felt pain in my side and sternum, which forced me to move back into my normal position. I kept my eyes closed, hoping that would somehow make me tired, but the pain was too much. I snapped open my eyes, slightly irritated, and gathered myself, still wishing I could have just kept sleeping, but I had no idea what time it was and figured I would just wake up. I sat up, and pulled out some IV's still in me, happy to know how to do that correctly without hurting myself or sounding an alarm that would go off when it realized my IV was out without permission. "Suck on that Athena." I muttered, placing my feet on the cold floor and resting my head in my hands, that were still slightly stained with blood. My clothes felt damp and soggy, probably soaked in even more blood than my hands. "I guess you guys didn't care that I was covered in blood then."

I decided to go get some water and gather my thoughts, then check on Lena. I hope the choronal accelerator is fixed. I stood up, feeling lightheaded but I kept moving, using the objects around me to keep myself standing, and I pushed my way through the door. The lights were completely off, almost pitch black, so I aimlessly wandered the dark narrow hallways with one hand on a wall beside me, the other in front of me to make sure I didn't bump into anything. "It's at times like these I really wish I had both of my eyes." I said barely above an audible whisper, not trying to disturb the almost deadly silent headquarters. I made my way through using my hands along the way to finally find the cafeteria in the place. I sighed in relief and entered, slowly making my way to get a bottle of water, every step making me feel more and more lightheaded, as I finally collapsed into the counter and grabbing a water, not wasting anytime to drink it. As I chugged the water, I felt much better, dehydration not being a problem anymore, as I felt energized now. I stood up straight, taking one large step and falling straight to the floor. "Oh yeah, forgot water doesn't heal bullet wounds." I stood back up and brushed the dust off of me, which was now slightly stained with blood. "I really should change clothes. Nah, I'm still devilishly good looking." I smirked, slicking my hair back.

I made my way through the hallways, until I found the medical bay again and entered, searching through the different rooms to find Lena, until it finally proved fruitful, as I found her resting peacefully with the choronal accelerator now fixed and attached again. "Hey Lena. Guess we switched positions now, huh?" I smiled, hoping she could somehow hear me. I made myself a seat next to her in the bed, carefully sliding in, making sure I didn't hurt her. I pulled the covers up on her and slicked back a strand of hair that was in her face. "I just wanted to check on ya. I'm still alive, but happier you're still alive. You're really rocking that necklace I gave you. Fits you better than it did me." I smiled, a tear starting to form in my eyes, memories rolling in. "I owe you my life. I know if you didn't jump in front of that bullet, I probably wouldn't be here. I just want to thank you. I'm tired of failing. I'm never failing again, I should've seen that coming, this is all my fault." I sat there, and wiped the single tear that rolled down my cheek. I smiled, thinking of the antics we got into. "Remember that one time when we took Mcree's hat, and he chased us around, and we played monkey in the middle with it. And the one time we played around in 's mech when she was playing video games. We just might be the most annoying people on the planet." I said smiling, reminiscing of those times. I started to grow weary, and I sleep quickly took me into its warm embrace.

Several hours later...

The sun's rays danced along the windows, finding its way into my eye and blinded me. I woke up, rubbing my eye, and slipping my hood back off of my head, must've fallen on me when I slept.." I must've fell asleep." I looked at where I was laying and red soaked through the covers on the bed. I grabbed new covers and placed them on the bed. "There, good as new. Now I really oughta take a shower." I said, the red on me becoming a weird brown color since it dried on me.

I made my way to my room and grabbed some fresh clothes, hopped in the shower, and took the time to gather myself. As the water dripped down my face and body, washing away the dried blood, running through my rather slightly longer brown hair. I finally got clean and stepped out and dried off. I leaned over, looking into the mirror, seeing a scarred and weary version of myself stare back, my eye analyzing every detail, every scratch and scar I had gained since I got here. I could barely recognize myself. My one eye, my long hair, the scars running down my body, my rather large arms for my age, and a stubble starting to grow on my face. I decided to shave for the 3rd time in my life, and wash my face, hoping that would make me look less dead. My looks betrayed my personality though, I still had a positive outlook on life, mostly. I still had a thought in the back of my head, forcing its way into my train of thought. "I'm never failing again." The sentence repeated in my head enough to drive me mad. I snapped out of it and opened the door, entering the rather boring room without Lena. I looked over at the clock, which read 8:23. I cursed, realizing I was late for my morning routine of running and exercising with Zarya. I quickly sprinted out the door, just in time to see Zarya running around the facility without me. "Wait up!" She turned my way, a smile creeping onto her face when she saw me. "Brayden! Come! I'm on my 2nd lap around the headquarters!" She said, beckoning for me to join her. I gladly joined as we made our way around the place, completing 20 laps before ending our session. "Good run Zarya, its nice to work with you." I said, still panting from the rather long run. "You too my friend! It is good to have competition, no?" She said smiling. I simply nodded back. "Well, see you around." I said to her, before jogging off to go to the gym, I felt like I didn't train hard enough.

Weeks later...

Lena was out of the medical facility and was now good to go on missions again. I was rather upset that they let her out quickly, but that was mostly because I didn't want to see her get hurt again. I had been spending most of my time working out, pushing the limits and doing just about as much as Zarya does. I would wake up at 5:00 sharp, run laps with Zarya, head down to the cafeteria and get multiple servings of proteins and vegetables before heading off to the gym to weightlift, do multiple stretches and get as many reps as I can doing pull ups, then push ups and sit ups. Then it was on to hand to hand combat, mostly consisting of me destroying as many punching bags as I could without my powers. Then whatever we were having at dinner and then talking with Lena for a while, I wanted to stay as close to her as I could, almost feeling like a mother at times to her, even though she is more than capable of taking care of herself. Now I know how Angela feels.

I had just finished my laps with Zarya and headed to the cafeteria, to be greeted by Jack and Mcree. "Hey kid!" Jesse said to me, to which I turned and nodded, not trying to speak too much, else I would be behind schedule. I don't know if it was my OCD or something else that made me have such a strict schedule, but it worked. I grabbed a thing of eggs, bacon, sausage and biscuits and sat down in front of them, devouring my food, not bothering to say a word. I almost forgot they were there until Jesse chuckled. "Keep eating like that and you'll choke kid. Dad never teach ya manners?" He said smiling. I looked up at him, shook my head no, "Dad was a drunken ass Jesse, you know that." I replied, still chewing, but I managed to smile st him, to which he smiled back. Mcree nodded, puffing at his cigar. "Doesn't mean you have to be an ass yourself." Jack replied coldly, to which my even colder eyes met with his, glaring into his soul, but he didn't back down. "I'm gonna just head off, uhh... best 'a luck to ya." Jesse said, tipping his hat and awkwardly shying away. Neither of us bothered to look at him, before his footsteps took off in the other direction. My fists clenched, fire crackling in my palm, my hair turning lighter. "Stand down soldier, I can tell what you want to do, and trust me, don't." He said, not even blinking at me. "What?! Got more orders for me?" I growled back, becoming more infuriated. "Don't end up like Gabriel kid, I like you but you are on a reckless path, and if you stay on it, I'll have to pull you off of it." He said back, showing he still cared for me, I did too, but now was not the day to push me. I simply sat up, put away my plate, smiled coldly at him and left without a word. Leaving him to his thoughts alone.

The fire in my hand finally deteriorated and my anger was soon released with my excessive exercise. I finished my squats and bench presses and moved on to my pull ups, doing 20 easily, starting to struggle, but I simply thought of the anger inside of me, pushing myself to do another 12 before collapsing, my chest rising up and down rapidly. I sat there for a while, just thinking, before my thoughts of failure lead me to become more angry, leading to 120 push ups, 175 sit ups, and another 10 pull ups. I could feel my legs and arms shake as I continued with my rigorous training, but I relished in the thought of it, knowing I was pushing myself to the limit. I had grown to love the feeling of soreness, knowing I was becoming stronger than I was before, never stopping until I felt like my arms would fall off. I took a slight break, drinking water, feeling the sweat roll down my face, reaching my lips, to where I could learn to love it's salty and bitter taste. I played some music in my headphones, all making me more keen on breaking something, so I figured it was time to break some punching bags. First I started out slow, throwing punches lightly and slowly, working on form, then the anger kicked in and my punches changed from calm and collected to rapid and wild, each punch hitting its mark harder than the other one, before I knew it, I was breaking the chains of the heavy bags with my punches, sending them sliding across the floor. My teeth clenching, my fists going faster and faster, breaking the leather and hitting into the inside of it. I started counting the bags that I broke, 1, 2, 3, 4... As I continued my fists became engulfed in flames, my hair a ghostly white, my skin turning slightly red, my eyes sparking. I could feel with each punch as my knuckles started to break and become dislocated, but I kept punching. 21, 22, 23... The hologram that would pop up the bags was having trouble keeping up with the pace. 48, 49, 50... My punches becoming inflamed, all of my anger going into my punches, knocking them across the room now. 101, 102, 103...

I wouldn't have stopped if I didn't notice the presence of someone behind me. I grabbed a towel and started to wipe my face, my body now glistening with sweat, my skin turning back to its original color, and the flames dying down. "What do you want?" I said, not bothering to turn around. "Lena told me you would be here." I heard Angela's voice echo across the room. "She knows me too well." I chuckled. "What happened between you and Morrison?" She asked. I sighed. "Look, I didn't mean it, we're still on good terms. I think." I replied. "Well he told me he was worried about you, wanted me to check up on you." "Look, I'm fine mom. Stop worrying about me." I heard her footsteps sound behind me, getting closer and closer. I finally turned around to see her inches from my face, grabbing me by the ear.

"Don't you lie to me! You haven't been the same ever since the accident with Lena. We are all worried about you, these routines are disastrous for the body. You need rest!" She said to me. I pulled her off of me. "I'm fine! If anything I'm healthier than ever! I'm stronger than I ever dreamed." I said. "Yes maybe physically but not mentally. A real warrior is both physically and mentally sound, which you most certainly are not!" "Stop talking to me! I don't need a therapist to defeat Talon and protect you and everyone else. I need to train!" I said. "Look, Angela, I'm really not in the mood, I just need to break some things, not chat about feelings." "Then do both!" She replied quickly. "What do you mean?" I questioned. "Fight me and talk at the same time, it will help with your anger." She explained. I snorted and crossed my arms. "I'm not hitting you Angela." "Why not?!" She almost screamed. "Because you are like my mom, I'm not doing it." I turned around returning to my session.

I then felt arms go around my waist and pull me into the air, slamming me into the ground. I quickly sprawled back into my feet and looked at her shocked. She only smirked and readied herself. I swung first, missing purposely, "I don't want to hit you." I said stubbornly. "Why not?" "Because I can't hit someone I love." I answered quickly. "Must I wear a reaper mask?" She said sarcastically. "Oh look at that, you made me change my mind."

I swung twice, hitting her in the chest, knocking her back, she stood back up, swinging, hitting me in the face multiple times before I finally blocked the attacks. "Why are you training so hard?" She asked. "Because I don't want to fail again. I've failed too many times. It's my fault for what happened to Lena." I said. "You can't blame yourself, nobody is perfect." "You don't understand." I growled, swinging at her, to which she dodged quickly. She kicked me in the back. I growled, swinging full force as I turned. "Quit blaming yourself! You need to move on. We need you alive out here, not working yourself to death." She replied, swinging back, hitting me in the gut. "I don't trust myself out on missions, I can't protect you guys, let alone myself." I said angrily. "That's not your job, we can take care of ourselves. We are teammates, we work together and help each other, we are a family. You're a part of it, like it or not." My hand sparked with fire, I screamed, punching the wall behind her, leaving a gaping hole in it. "No I'm not. I've been nothing but a nuisance since I came here! Nobody loves me! You don't need me! You are Overwatch for christs sake! You should've just left me to die in that school, then I would be of no harm to you." I screamed, not thinking of what I was saying, just letting my emotions flow. Her brow furrowed and she tackled me to the ground, holding my arms on the ground, looking me straight in the eye, barely and inch of space between our faces. "You know that's not true! I meant every word I said. If you don't matter then why did we all take such a good liking to you so quickly?! We all love you! I love you! Don't ever forget that fact, we are all a family!" She yelled, her words piercing into my heart, the words she spoke cut deeper than knives, but they were true. I had been so blinded by rage I forgot that I had a family and tried to be lone wolf.

She stood up, placing a hand out in front of me. I took a hold of it and picked myself up. She had tears in her eyes, I couldn't say anything. I just hugged her, not having any idea how to express how I felt other than this. We stood there in each other's arms, holding on tightly, but eventually we had to go to dinner with the rest of the agents. We walked back in silence, but both understanding what we meant and how we felt. Dinner was even quieter, as I ate and listened to everyone's conversations and laughs, just now realizing our family like qualities. The way we could easily pass each other food across the cafeteria without looking and knowing when to catch was only now fascinating to me, as I looked over to see Angela only smile and nod at me, as I turned catching a piece of chicken on my fork that was thrown over by Jack, who was smiling at me. I smiled back, catching a piece of ham at the same time tossed over by Reinhardt who was laughing loudly now at a joke Torbjorn had told. "I guess we are a family." I said, smiling wide.


	10. Chapter 10

I opened the door to Lena and I's room with two bags slung over my shoulder, getting ready to grab my gear and pack up for the mission today.

"Oi luv, what ya doing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Packing my gear for the mission today, I'm taking off in an hour."

"I'm your partner right?" She asked.

"Nah, I was gonna give you a break and work with someone else, if that's okay." I said, grabbing my gas mask and wiping the dust off of it.

"Yeah sure that's okay. Who are you working with?"

"Uhh... I was gonna work with Bastion today, thought he would be useful if we got into a bad situation."

She cocked her head to the side confused, looking at me as if I had three heads. "Bastion? Really? Why?" She said.

"Well, I had worked with everyone else on missions, never even got to talk to him the entire time I've been here. Well he can't talk but you get what I mean. Anyways, he hadn't been on a mission for a long time so I figured I would have him come along too."

She shrugged, realizing my reasons. "Okay then. Good luck, see you when you get back."

"Thanks, see ya Lena!" I waved goodbye after finishing packing my bags and walked out the door. Now, where in the hell is Bastion anyway? He doesn't have a room, and he isn't training, so where is he? Guess I'll ask Angela.

I made my way through the base, nodding and waving at my fellow agents as they walked by doing their different things. I saw Angela talking with Ana about something while drinking tea at Angela's desk. I knocked on the door and opened.

"Sorry to interrupt but any idea where Bastion is? I can't find him and we are supposed to go on a mission." I said peeking my head through the door.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him in the training facility 10 minutes ago." Ana responded, taking a sip of tea.

I raised an eyebrow. "Odd, didn't see him there. Anyway, see you guys when I get back."

They both smiled and said goodbye before I ran off to find Bastion. I opened the door to the facility to find nothing. "Odd..." I said. I walked in, peeking my head around the corners. "Here Bastion Bastion... where are you?" I said, almost speaking to him how a person would talk to a dog. "Hmmm..." I sighed and finally admitted defeat, walking out. Well I better put these bags down, they are killing my shoulders. I jogged off to the plane I was using to go on the mission with.

I cocked my head when I found Bastion sitting on the plane staring right at me as if he had been waiting. The light on his head flickered to life as he sat up, waving at me. I waved back. "Someone is a happy camper today Bastion." I said smiling, he jumped down, making steps toward me. "Beep bop boop beep." He said, a cheerful pitch to it. "Why thank you, you look lovely today too." I said, taking it as a compliment, having no idea what he said. He simply turned his head to the side confused, before taking my bags and placing them in the plane. "Uhh thanks?" I said confused at what he was doing. I checked the engines before lift off as Lena taught me and turned around to enter the pilots seat only to be met by Lena's face barely an inch away from mine, smiling from ear to ear. I jumped back, startled. "You remember what I taught you right?" She said, the cheerful smile fading and forming into a concerned look. "Yes." I responded.

I pushed by her, taking my seat in the pilots seat. "After you check engines you always.."

"...check on passengers before lift off." I finished her sentence, rolling my eyes, remembering every word of the rules of flying she drilled into my head.

"Good. I'm proud of you." She said smiling. "My little baby is all grown up now." She said sarcastically, wiping fake tears away from her eyes. I simply flipped her off, hearing her laughter before I flipped the switch and turned on the engines. I gave her a thumbs up before making my way out of the hangar. I flew for a few minutes, getting us on track to where we were headed. I then turned on autopilot and sat there peacefully, just watching the clouds go by. I quickly sat up, realizing I should talk to Bastion. I walked down to the loading bay to find him in some sort of rest mode just sitting there. "Uhh... hello?" I said. I slightly tapped him with my foot, to which he snapped to life and looked right at me. I smiled, taking a seat next to him. He simply stared at me, never flinching or moving. "So... wanna know what the plan is for the mission?" He nodded at me with a few audible beeps and boops in response.

"Okay, so we are infiltrating a base of operations set up by Talon opperatives in London. So I'm going to be doing some recon from the outside and then we use me as a distraction, allowing you to steal their information and get out, if anything goes wrong, I'll infiltrate and provide back up for you and we get out of there. Any questions."

"Beep boop beep." He said, giving me a thumbs up.

"Good." I said. The rest of the way there was me taking a nap in the pilots seat while Bastion played around with his bird. I napped peacefully, still catching up on the sleep I had missed the last couple of weeks when it was interrupted by beeping and alarms of the plane telling me we reached the destination. I quickly turned them off and landed a few miles from the base so it wouldn't draw any attention.

It was a bit of a hike there I won't lie. We had to walk up this really steep hill to scope out the base and find a way for Bastion to sneak in. We decided on the front door basically. I would draw the guards out, and while they searched for me I would open the door, allowing Bastion to enter and he could gather info by hacking in and then we get out of there. Easy. Trick was, it was a sky scraper in the middle of a populated area, so we couldn't just blow it up. We had to scale the wall with magnetic boots so we could climb up the building.

We had been climbing for 5 minutes now, and we were almost at the top. The view of the city and the flying cars passing by and the lights was breathtaking, literally, since I was hyperventilating from my fear of heights. Once once we reached the top, I threw a pebble at the ground next to me, which to my surprise, oddly worked. As they walked toward it, me and Bastion snuck by, entering through the door. "Alright, guess I'll join you." I said, following him, wondering how we had not been caught with Bastion's rather loud footsteps. We walked through the hallways, checking every corner for the database. When we turned one corner, we found a map of the building and found out the central database was located at the 167th floor. I found a microphone, which was wired to go through speakers located around the building. "Oooh, what's this button do?" I said, touching the red button, it turned it on, allowing me to speak into it. I cleared my throat.

"Ahem, hey dumbasses. Yeah, you, I'm talking to all of ya. This is an agent of Overwatch speaking, and we appreciate you allowing us into your facility so graciously. Now, if you don't wish to get hurt, I would suggest leaving. Oops, I accidentally locked the doors. Looks like I have to kick all of asses. Aw well, I won't kill you, well, probably not. We'll see. Well, tata."

I turned it off, motioning for Bastion to come join me, we were gonna take the elevator. I was feeling quite cocky, until sirens and red flashing lights started to blare. "Warning, self destruct system engaged. 10 minutes until detonation, all faculties evacuate now."

"Well, shit, 10 minutes it is then. Ready?" I asked. Bastion gave me a thumbs up, to which I smirked, as the door to the elevator opened up to find 50 guns trained on the door. "Wrong floor?"I said smiling nervously. I quickly dodged to the side and pressed the button to make it go up a floor. It opened again as I stepped out, and I quickly spread fire to the floor, burning through it. I dove head first into the hole. "Here I- oh there is no carpet on the floor you son of a-" I hit the hard tile floor, groaning in pain. Bastion simply hopped down and landed perfectly, then turning into a turret, eliminating all hostiles in the room. We quickly ran to the database, and I stepped aside allowing Bastion to do his thing. "Gathering information, estimated installation: 6 minutes." The voice in the computer said. "Aww son of a bi-" The voice interrupted me relaying the message: 7 minutes until detonation, leaving us 1 minute to escape. Talon reinforcements made their way to our position, training their guns on us.

"Quick Bastion, fire!" He then turned into a turret, firing at all of them, killing a few. I shielded him from the barrage of bullets flying at him, then sending them back at them, making a few of them drop dead, and some others run away in fear. The remaining agents quickly realized their mistake of not running when they had the chance. I burst into flames, lashing out in all directions, leaving scorch marks wherever I stepped. I flipped over them, landing behind them. Before firing at them, turning some of them into toast. One left. He didn't have a weapon, he cowered in fear, begging for mercy. I walked slowly, picking him up by the collar, looking into his fearful eyes. I smirked devilishly at him, thinking of what I could do to him. I decided to let him live to tell the story of what happened here. I pulled him closer. "Yeah. You'll never forget me. WILL YOU?!" I dropped him to his feet, as he scrambled to get away and escape, I chuckled at how he ran so fast from a kid.

I made my way to Bastion. He gave me a thumbs up, signaling that the extraction was complete. "1 minute until self destruction."

"Shit, come on!" I screamed, breaking into a full on sprint out of there. I turned a corner and slid to a halt, agents covering the door. "Stairs it is then!" I said, bursting through the entrance to the stairs, sliding down them, as Bastion kept up with my fast pace. There were agents running out of there too, trying to escape just as we were, we bulldozed through them, not bothering to fight them, we needed to get out ourselves. "25 seconds remaining." The voice sounded, adding to my adrenaline. I burst through the door, we were only on the 122 floor and were not gonna make it out that quick. We found ourselves in a hallway, but with a set of windows down the long hallway, leading outside. I turned to Bastion. "Thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked. He nodded, "Beep bop boop." We ran as fast as we could, making our way through the seemingly endless hallway. "We may have a 0.000001 percent chance of landing on a car but it's better than dying!"

I screamed breaking through the glass into a free fall, the air running through my face. I spread my hands out reaching for a car, but missing them all, nearing the ground at a rapid rate, I started to free fall, accepting I was probably gonna die. Then a familiar robotic hand snatched me from mid air, dragging me up onto the car he landed on. I could only hug him. "Thank you, oh thank you." He surprisingly returned the hug, accepting me into his arms. I broke free from it and smiled at him. "Beep bop boop boop." He said. I nodded, chuckling, "Yeah, beep bop boop boop." I said, wishing I could understand anything he said. I leaned down and knocked on the windshield, motioning for him to roll the window down. The passanger actually did that and I slid in and opened the door for Bastion to get in.

You would not believe how awkward the ride back home was.

Bastion looked extremely uncomfortable in the seats and the driver was very scared because of the stories that the news put out on the daily talking about how we are dangerous vigilantes and should be arrested on sight. I took off my mask, revealing my missing eye, making the driver even more scared. I smiled at him, telling him everything was gonna be alright, and how we weren't going to hurt him. Then he started asking questions about what we did. Then I told him the truth of what happened on all the incidents that had happened recently on how we were trying to help save people. He then told me a rather heartwarming thing, saying people still believed in us and what we were doing, and that most people would rather have Overwatch back. I smiled at him, thankful for what he said. I realized we were nearly there and told him to drop us off here so he didn't know where the base was. He did as I asked and dropped us off, and I waved goodbye. And that left me and Bastion alone to walk back home. I walke slow pace since I was human and got tired. He then stopped in front of me, turned into a tank, and picked me up, holding me on his back. "Thanks Bastion." I said wearily. "Beep boop." I smiled.

We made our way back to the headquarters, without a plane, but with info. So mission accomplished I guess. We walked in to the base to be greeted by the agents like usual, but a rather confused Lena.

"Umm, where is the plane." She asked, folding her arms.

"Uhh, yeah, 'bout that. We sorta accidentally had to escape by flying car and a citizen was kind enough to give us a ride." I said.

"You what?!" Just about every agent said that.

"He gave us a ride, I told him to drop us off a few miles away, and he did, and me and him walked away. We only did that because they blew up the base. But hey, we got the information you wanted!" I explained.

Angela face palmed and shook her head.

"Hey, the kid and Bastion got the info. That's all we need. It could've been executed better but that's the point of training now isn't it?"

"Yeah, mission accomplished." Mcree said.

I sighed, "So this means more training?"

"Oh yeah, big time." Jack said.

"Great." I said sarcastically, before making my way to my room, and Lena followed me in. "You hungry?" She called down to me. "Brayden?" She looked back to see him face down in the couch snoring. "Well gee guess escaping bombs takes a lot out of ya. Goodnight Brayden." She kissed him on the forehead before going to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note  
Things are gonna get a little crazy up in here, some things are gonna change for a few chapters, especially with Brayden and what happens to him.

I sat in the cafeteria during dinner half asleep, Jack had not given me a break since the whole bomb incident, and I haven't been on a mission for almost 2 months now. I could hear the conversations of others but was so tired I could sleep, even with Reinhardt's loud laughing. Just 5 minutes... please.  
"Heads up!"

"Huh... agh!" I awoke to Lucio throwing a football across the table, only to turn and take one right to the face. I smacked into the floor face first, eye starting to bruise immediately. Everyone leaned over the table to look at me, prying their way through. I held my hands up above my head shaking them violently. "Aaaahh! My eye! I can't see! Angela?! I need help!" I cried out, hearing her footsteps sounding towards me. I slid under the table, taking her seat, smiling at everyone. She turned around to see me smiling at her, eating off of her plate.

"Brayden!" She called down to me.

I looked up from the plate. "What? A man can't eat around here?!" Even though I was horribly tired, I still had a few jokes. Everyone laughed, even Angela cracked a smile at me, to which I smiled back. Everyone enjoyed my little prank. Except for Jack.

"Soldier! You don't take this seriously enough! I want 20 laps around the track in the training facility within 5 minutes! If you don't make it in time, do it again! And I'm telling Athena to record, so I'll know if you didn't do it!"

"What... I..."

"No back talk. Do as I said. NOW!"

"Fine." I bit my tongue so hard I might have drawn blood. The flames in my hands flickered, but I kept my hands closed, knowing I would make a mistake if I opened them, and one I'll never fix. I stomped off, holding my anger inside of me, knowing my wrath could kill everyone if I wasn't careful. "Asshole." I muttered. "Make that another 5 laps as well!"

I turned to him, glaring at him, my hair growing white, skin burning up and turning red, I had to let it out somehow. I punched full speed into the wall next to me, leaving a scorch mark where it hit, and a rather large hole with it. I heard people muttering that Jack was going too hard on me, but I didn't care.

3 hours later...

"Finally! I finished your challenge Jack, now I'm going to bed. Or should I sleep on a bed of nails too?" I said to the camera that had been watching me, only to hear him respond. "Don't tempt me rookie, I've made people due worse." I stormed off out of the room and went to my room, opening and slamming it shut.

Lena turned to me with a frown on her face, wishing she could help me. I simply paced through the room, back and forth, letting my thoughts talk me into submission, not to say most of my thoughts had to do with killing a few people for fun to release my stress, but I simply decided on taking a walk later. "Aren't you gonna catch some shut eye, it's 1:00 in the morning!" She said to me. I grabbed my hoodie from the coat hanger and slipped into it. "Sleep is overrated." I said, my voice sounding more menacing than ever.

I walked through the hallways with my hands in my pockets, alone with the voices in my head that I had grown accustomed too. I never told anyone because they wouldn't understand, the thoughts I experience are twisted to say the least.

"Stand your ground, he's been stepping all over you."

"No, he is just trying to make me a better person."

"By working you to death? Show him who is boss, we could kill him in the blink of an eye. It's only because you show restraint that he doesn't know what you can do to him. He underestimates you, thinks you're just a kid. But we'll show him. Yes, we will."

"Stop talking to me, you are not me! It's not we! I'm in charge!"

"Not for long. The more you try to restrict me the more powerful I get. It's only a matter of time before I'M in charge. Not YOU. You'll just have to sit back and enjoy the ride, but don't worry, I'll take good care of us, better than you already have. I mean look at you, it's only been one year, what happens when you can't come back from an injury, you might as well live life to the fullest, and that's what I'll do."

"You're just my imagination, I can stop you easily! You're not real at all!"

"Oh I'm real, as REAL as real can be! Everytime your hand flicked with sparks and fire, that's me! And once I'm out, Brayden's time in the sun is over!"

"No, it's not, you can't win! Stop talking to me!"

"What's going on? Brayden, are you alright?" I heard Angela's voice.

I turned to her. 'My turn.' The voice in my head said. "Brayden isn't here right now, you're talking to something else entirely." She looked at me shocked, covering her mouth with her hands. I shook my head, and cleared my throat. "Yeah I'm fine." I smiled, my voice sounding normal again. She simply took off running in response. My voice went back to when the voice in my head took over. I almost sounded like Reaper. "Off to find the others? Say hello for me. The new kid is back in action." He started to laugh maniacally, until I switched back to my normal self, immediately chasing after her. I caught up to her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into me. "Look I'm fine, it was just a cough, I'm fine really. Don't worry about me! Look, I'm just tired and need to get some sleep."

She paused and analyzed me for what seemed like hours. I looked into her eyes the entire time, forcing myself to not get angry at all. It was clearly bad for me. "I don't necessarily believe you. It clearly wasn't a cold, but I will be keeping my eyes on you. One more outburst like that and I am having you take a psychology test. Understand?" "Yes yes I understand."

I sighed and smiled when she left me, looking back every few steps, but I kept my fake smile, my eyes never wavering. I kept them locked onto her. I walked off, the voice dying down, almost becoming silent completely, but I knew I needed to do something to take my mind off of it. I jogged down to Jack's office and knocked on the door. He opened and I asked immediately. "Can I have a mission? I need something to do." He sighed. "No, now get to sleep, we have to..." the TV behind him sounded to life, the news reporter talking about a bank heist, with Junkrat and Roadhog doing it. I smiled. He turned to it; "Oh no, you are not going. Theses are dangerous criminals and we need to assemble a team. Now..." He turned back to see nothing but the hallway outside his office. He has already ran off by himself. "Shit."

I jumped in the pilot seat and started the engines, and flew out of the hangar quickly, hoping to stop the criminals. It had been said that there were multiple bombs in there and warned people not to go near as Junkrat my blew them up in means of defense. I heard my radio go off to hear Lena's voice talking to me. "Wait up, you can't do this on your own. You need help!" I picked it up. "I'm doing it myself, don't wait up for me." I opened the window in the jet and crushed the radio in my hands, throwing what was left out the window.

I finally made it to the place and dropped out, not even bothering to land the plane. I wasn't wasting any time to stop. The voice in my head was gone now, hopefully forever. I went through the hole in the wall, finding many hostages in there, tied to the floor and unable to move, I untied them all and told them to leave. Some of them thanked me but I had no time to talk, I had to disarm the bombs in here, manually too. I made my way through the place, finding nothing but scorch marks from bombs before. I followed the tracks until I found what was left of the money. Little bits of dollar bills were in there, and the rest was taken.

That wasn't what made this bad, the bad thing was that there was a bomb, large enough to kill everyone in a five mile radius. I had to disarm it, but I wasn't the most skilled at it. I spent a few minutes trying every thing in the book. But no matter what I did it only made it worse. I could hear cop sirens and the sounds of an Overwatch plane hovering above. They were here. Wait, what if I? I clipped the wire. To which it started to blink red. It had 10 seconds left before detonation. I cursed, sprinting outside, with 5 seconds to spare. I screamed, "Everyone get down!" My fellow agents did as I said, and so did the police. I used all my energy into on shield, enough to cover everyone. Everyone except me. I made my decision, better them than me. I shot the shield at them, and Lena looked at me, noticing I wasn't covered. The last thing I felt was the flames running up half of my body, and heard Lena cry my name.

Lena's POV

"Brayden!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, the explosives setting off. The last thing I saw was Brayden become engulfed in flames. The shield had stopped the flames, everyone was fine, he saved us, but at the greatest of costs. The shield went out as we looked around to see nothing but ash and charred rubble. I started to run off to the rubble before Zarya grabbed me by the waste and picked me up, running with me on her shoulder to the plane. "Let go of me you arse! I have to find him!" I screamed and kicked, but Zarya was much too strong for me. She held me, tears forming in my eyes, seeing what was left of the building before the plane shut and we took off toward base. I pounded on the window, begging Jack to turn the ship around, but he only kept flying, holding in tears of his own. We flew back to base, the entire team utterly shocked and destroyed knowing that Brayden had given his life for them, knowing full well he wouldn't make it. We landed but nobody dared to be the first one off. Mcree took off his hat, showing his eyes still red and puffy from crying, and opened the door, not bothering to say a word. Reinhardt was the next one off, along with Winston. Genji walked off, slowly and slightly sobbing. Then the rest followed, Jack grabbing Angela and pulling her up off the ground where she sat crying the entire flight, and left with her. Leaving just me.

3rd Person

Lena had cried all the tears she had, leaving her only able to sniff and slightly sob. She stood up, and walked to the pilot seat. The window beside it was a picture of Brayden and Lena laughing while in their Halloween costumes. They were dressed up as each other, Brayden wearing tight orange pants, goggles, a wig, and a pilots jacket. Lena was wearing a gas mask and a hood, and painted fire in her hands. She took the photo, and slipped it into her pocket, keeping it to remember him. She had kept the necklace he gave her, and decided to always put it on before missions.

The headquarters was the saddest it had ever been, with everyone dealing with Brayden's death in their own way. The only sounds were the sobs of everyone in their rooms, coming to terms with his death, and that he was gone. Lena made her way to her room to cry some more. The room feeling so empty without Brayden's joyful spirit in there. Hell, the entire base seemed empty without him. But life had to go on, missions had to be done, and people needed to be saved. But one thing is for sure, it won't be the same, without Brayden.

Authors note

Im gonna work on the next chapter and it might be out in a couple of days, if you have any suggestions for what to do in the next chapter, tell me! I want this to be as much my story as your story. I already have the basic ideas for next chapter but would like the hear what you guys have. If no suggestions I'll do my best and do what I think is good. Anyways, see you guys next time!


	12. Chapter 12

7 months later...

Lena's POV

"Lena, report to my office for a mission debriefing." I awoke to hear Jack's voice over the intercom. I rubbed my eyes, taking a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room. The room had always seemed dark since Brayden's death. I once again had to push my feelings back into myself and push through every bit of what my life had now become. I had sort of lost my love of missions, I wasn't depressed, I still had a good attitude and humor, but I always felt chills when called to do a mission. I've always shook it off as just some sort of instinct and continued with the mission.

I stood up from my bed and put on some clothes, and walked out the door. The only noise in the base was the echo of my footsteps and the slight hum of my choronal accelerator. The base had always been quiet, almost as if it was mourning just as we did. We had said we had completely moved on but no one dared say his name, as if saying would bring a curse upon us. Jack had especially never talked of him, hoping that if he never brought it up he would never have to come face to face with the guilt he had deep inside of himself. We always referred to him as "The Boy" making him seem more ominous than he actually was, he wasn't a cold hearted kid like his new name would make him sound like, he was just a normal kid that took on a lot of responsibility when joining us. That and many scars, before being killed in that explosion.

I knocked on his door, and heard him call me in. I was greeted by a tired Jack and Winston, who barely smiled at me. I smiled faintly back and took a seat. "Well luvs, what's the big mission ya want me to do?" I said with my usual peppy spirit, masking the actual pain in my heart.

Jack slid the folder across the table, which was labeled top secret. He allowed me to flip through it as usual. It showed multiple amateur photos of a hooded figure with a skull mask fighting supposed criminals. There were news articles in the folder talking of the "Hooded Vigilante" as the news paper put it. It had many witnesses claiming he was a hero, but the police warned the public to stay away from him as he was dangerous and had killed many people.

"Well, what's the big idea? Another vigilante in the streets of London? Not uncommon to be honest." I said, flipping through the pages of the folder, with even more witnesses talking about the "justice" that he doled out against criminals, by either killing them or leaving them in the hospital for the rest of their lives. Clearly not the kindest. Jack only slid another folder my way and didn't even speak. I was about to open it before Winston placed his hand on it and warned me. "The pictures are quite graphic, I'm just warning you." I nodded and prepared myself. I opened slowly and found horrible things. And man with his head bashed in completely by a baseball bat, another man missing all of his limbs. One man was even impaled on a rusty pipe, left alive to feel every moment. I flipped a page to find the x rays of the people who survived the encounter with the vigilante. One victim had a broken jaw, his skull completely fractured in two places, leading to severe brain damage. Another man had his arm completely turned the other way around, his knee shattered and his sternum broken. I closed the folder, not wanting to see any more of the photos.

"Now you see why we need to stop him. I don't care if the people think he is a hero, he is doing more harm than good. We need to bring him to justice. I'm trusting you can get it done." I stood up and saluted him before walking out of the office to go get ready.

A few hours later...

The flight back to my childhood home was rather short, I went at a very fast speed, I wanted to get back to London quickly, it was my favorite place in the world. I needed to get this vigilante off the streets before he does anymore damage. The hard part was, he could be anywhere in London, and that's a hard thing to keep track of. I figured I would stick to the rooftops to keep a birds eye view, and also not to get seen by citizens. Overwatch was still illegal, and I had no plans on going to jail. I took my seat on the rooftops and scanned the city, my feet dangling down off the roof, flowing in the wind. Luckily time was on my side, so I blinked a little forward into the future every few minutes, I wasn't the most patient person in the world.

I had sat for minutes, but in real time I actually sat for 1 day. I hadn't seen anything except the people of London passing by doing their own things. I watched as two people walked in a dark alley, presumably a couple, a man and a woman. They talked while hand in hand but some suspicious people walked behind them, loose clothes and baseball bats and knives. They couple noticed them, and their weapons. They were outnumbered 7 to 2. The criminals called for their money but the couple refused. One of the me chuckled and stepped towards them. I was about to jump down when the vigilante I was looking for landed in front of them. The criminals immediately jumped back, and the vigilante told the couple to get out of there, which they obviously did. I watched closely, waiting for my chance to strike.

"I'm gonna give you one chance to walk away. If not, better say goodbye to your momma." The vigilante said, his voice deep and menacing. "Fine, I'll count. One. Two. Three..." the criminals looked at each other and nodded, before all rushing the man. He quickly dodged one swing of a baseball bat and elbowed him in the nose, breaking it instantly. Another swiped with a knife before it was kicked out of his hand and was slammed into a brick wall. The vigilante took two jabs to the face and fell back dazed into a wall of the narrow alleyway. He then pulled the pipe right off of the wall and swung wildly, knocking out two of them. "5 left. Come on, hit me." He taunted, preparing himself. They all went at him again and he flipped over all of them, grabbing a knife out of one of their hands and swiping it across one of the men's neck, killing him. They looked in fear as one of their partners drowned in their own blood. He then punched one in the neck, kicked the other one in the jaw, dislocating it, and flung him by the arm into a dumpster. One snuck up on him and stabbed him in the side. The man groaned, but not stopping in the massacre of these men. He was grabbed and held up by one of them, taking a few jabs to the stomach, before drop kicking him in the chest and breaking free of the hold. He then roundhouse kicked the man behind him, sending him flying. He picked the one on the ground up and slammed him into the wall, knocking him out. He turned to the last one, who looked at him in complete terror. The vigilante sprinted at the man, grabbing him by the throat and holding him as he kicked and clawed, trying to escape the hold, but with one snap, he stopped struggling and fell to the ground lifeless.

The vigilante turned around and started to walk away, before stopping in his footsteps and turned to my direction, looking me right in the eyes. I felt a chill run down my spine. "How's the view up there?" He asked. I dropped down a few yards from him, staring at him, he didn't flinch one bit.

"Stop right there, you're going to jail for what you've done, hero." I said the last word mockingly.

"Oh the famous Tracer, those words are rich coming from you. Didn't Overwatch get shut down? How's that going? Shouldn't you still be mourning over the loss of an agent. So sorry for your loss." He chuckled. I kept my mouth shut, only growing angrier. "Really, no words? Would expect more from the poster girl for Overwatch. I would at least expect a 'Cheers luv!' from you."

"Gosh, you're shorter than I imagined, I feel like you're a kid taking dress up a little too seriously, must I call ya mum?" I mocked him. "I mean seriously, must be very ashamed of your style, I mean really, a skull painted on your mask? Oooh, scary."

"Funny. I must've really overestimated your skills at taunting people. I also feel you underestimate me. Now come, show me what the legendary hero Tracer can do. Or will you just be yet another disappointing fight." He motioned for me to come to him. I blinked over to him swinging, but before I could hit him I felt something string me up by my feet. He then picked up the pipe behind him and swung.

A few hours later...

I heard humming and him sitting in front of me, closely analyzing me. "Wakey wakey sleepy head. You really should've looked around before you blinked towards me. I mean seriously, didn't they teach you to expect the unexpected. That's like rule number one. So predictable. Why must the pretty ones be so dumb? Gosh, you are not the brightest."

I tried to recall back to before I was captured but couldn't. I looked down at my choronal accelerator and noticed it was a dim light and sparks were flying out of it. He noticed my worried look and tilted my head up to look at him.

"Oh, don't worry, you won't be disappearing from our time, I've just made sure you can't recall back to before I captured you. You understand don't you? I don't want you leaving yet."

My eyes widened, how did he know that I would disappear? How did he destroy my powers? Who is he?! The thoughts ran rampant in my head, all of my questions unable to be answered. He started to laugh loudly, holding his stomach as if it would burst. "Hahaha! You're face, you.. you... you really thought no one knew your secrets. You thought everyone would forget who you are, Lena?"

I gasped. He knew who I was?! How?! His tone turned very serious quickly, moving closer to me, inches away from my face.

"But I never forget! I will never forget what Overwatch did to me! But I've done more by myself than Overwatch ever dreamed. Did they tell you about how the crime rate in Britain dropped to its lowest in over 3 decades! You know who that is? ME! You know how criminals think twice before they do something. That's ME! Do you know who strikes fear not only into the hearts of criminals in London but all over the world?! ME! And the truth is... I'm just better than you."

The world around us went silent except for the rain now pouring down into the alleyway. He stared into my eyes with such fury, such anger, it truly left me scared. What had I done to this man?

"Who are you?" I barely muttered. He chuckled at my response. He turned the other way. Slipping off his hood, and taking his mask off, I saw brown hair sprout up from where the mask covered. "You really have no idea? Do you Lena?" He turned to me.

It was Brayden! But I thought you were dead! How did you live?! Why didn't you come back to me?! I'm so sorry! His face was half of his left cheek was burned, along with the left side of his neck. His lips were horribly burned on the left side and had a scar running down his nose to his cheek. His one eye burned with rage, all directed at me. I was so shocked I had nothing to say.

"What? No words? I'm hurt." He said coldly.

"Y..you..you're dead, I saw you die." I could barely speak, unable to wrap my head around all of this, all of my feelings.

"Oh, but I'm very alive, in fact, I felt every bit of the explosion. I felt every shard piercing my back, I felt the flames eat at my flesh. But that wasn't what hurt the most. You didn't even look for me! You left me to die in those flames! I trusted you! But I learned the truth that day. It's a cruel cruel world. Trust no one, not even those you call family. And you know what? You all taught me that whatever I set my mind to, I could accomplish. And you know what I want now? I want you dead! All of you!"

I felt tears in my eyes come out, I couldn't stop them. My best friend! Brayden! This is what he became! I felt so guilty, I could've saved him. All the guilt I kept inside started to force its way out.

"I'm so sorry. W..we tried to save you. We looked for you!"

"Don't you dare lie to me! You left me! I loved you! But you made it clear, that you don't love me." He snarled, the flames in his hands rising.

"Please... come back with me. You don't know how much we missed you. We could be together again, a family. We still love you!"

"What?! And pretend like nothing happened! That we are all one big happy family and nothing could go wrong. Have a beautiful Sunday dinner together and grow old together! You know, maybe that could've happened, maybe, if you had actually loved me, this wouldn't of happened. Maybe, I wouldn't look like this, the monster you made me!" He started to cry, and turned away. He sobbed slightly, trying to hold it in. He eventually stopped and wiped his tears. "Well..." he turned back to me, "what's done is done. Can't go back changing the past now can you? Oh wait! You could've!" He joked.

"What now, are you gonna kill me?" I asked, completely defeated.

"No. I need you alive. Well, at least for now. First I'll make you suffer, watch every one around you die a slow painful death, knowing it was your fault. Then I'll leave you alive for a few years, let you stew on your life decisions and how it led you to where you are. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll let you taste the sweet release of death. How's that sound sport? But right now, we're leaving." He started to unshackle me, and carry me away.

"Where are we going?" I asked, holding in my tears.

"Home."


	13. Chapter 13

The flight back had been deafeningly silent. I had grown to hate the silence, it left me alone with my thoughts where they screamed the truth. I always liked to at least have some noise, even if it was just the ringing in my ears. I flipped on autopilot and walked back to Lena with a evil smile plastered on my face, not feeling even remotely out of place. She had been in the cargo hold slightly crying. "Aww cheer up ya old bugger, it's not like I'll kill ya. No, I wouldn't leave ya hanging like you all did me."

She looked up at me, fear in her eyes, never being able to look at me the same. 'Good' I thought.

"We loved you... you know that. Please, just..."

"Come back." I interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. "Thanks but no thanks, besides I've heard ya say that hundreds of times, say something else.

To be honest I was in the midst of an internal struggle between my thoughts and feelings. Most of me wanted to kill her right now and bring her to the others to insight fear into their hearts, but a part of me wanted to hug her, stop her crying, come back to base with her, reunite with the family. But those thoughts are always quickly silenced and ignored. Besides, it was far too late for that. Far too late for apologies, far too late to forget.

I smirked as a thought of an idea. I ran to the bag I had brought with us on the flight back to base. I grabbed my camera and dusted it off.

"Haven't used this in a while. Almost forgot I wanted to take a photo with you, to cherish the memories. Really, what are we without our past? Besides, it you're going to tell the rest of them about me, they might as well know what I look like right? So say cheese!" I sat down next to her. The camera flashed, and the photo rolled out. I smirked at it, finding it so odd to see me, even when missing an eye, all the scars and burns, still smiling, although this one being more menacing than the rest. And a scared Lena, barely able to look at the camera. I frowned when I noticed that. I looked over to see her shed a tear. I wiped it off of her cheek and looked into her eyes. "Aww cheer up you sour puss, you don't see me crying, and look at me and how scarred I am." She looked down refusing to look at me.

"LOOK AT ME!" My voice echoed through the quiet plane, its deep sound bouncing off the walls. She looked up at me. "There ya go. Not so hard now was it?" I smiled.

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. You shouldn't be like this. It's my fault."

"For what? I'm better than I've ever been! And I've adopted a new saying. 'Everything happens for a reason.' So I accept your apology Lena." I lied, I have been going through hell ever since the accident, not having a good nights rest in months. The responsibility of all the citizens in London weighing down on me, keeping me awake at night, and always on the run.

The plane beeped and signaled we were at the destination. I smiled, picking up Lena by the scruff of her collar like a child. I opened the hatch, revealing us to be a bit off the ground. Her eyes widened as she started to tense up. "Don't worry the fall won't kill you. I think." I chuckled. "Now I would love to stay with you and catch up with everyone but I have a city to keep safe. I can hear them crying out for me now. I hope you enjoyed our little reunion as much as I did. Go on and tell them all about me! I'm still alive and kicking! Ta-ta for now." I let go of her watching her plummet to the ground.

"I'll be in touch!"

2 weeks later...

I sat on the rooftop, overlooking the city, taking a slight break. I had learned to enjoy this time since I had so little of it. I was also starting to like the city and its citizens, it was truly beautiful at night. If only I wasn't a vigilante I'd love it here. This was my new home. Although I did miss having a team to work with and my time in Overwatch, but that was a different life entirely to me.

'You never needed them, they only held you back. Only now have you reached your full potential' I thought.

But in all honesty I missed some of them, the way Zenyatta would give me advice, Reinhardt's laugh, Angela's voice comforting me, Lena's antics.

'They hated you, they left you to die. You should've killed them all when you had the chance to, show them who is boss.'

Everytime I thought of going back and joining them again I always found an excuse, pushing the thoughts into the back of my head. Only when I slept did I ever find peace, and even then I had nightmares haunting me, all about my time in Overwatch. I don't think I'll ever be the same, not only physically but mentally. I had aged two years and had gotten much larger and stronger, but also becoming much more scarred.

My thoughts were interrupted by the yells and gunshots. I quickly stood up and ran in the direction it came from, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. One boy had mistook me for Santa Claus on his rooftop about to enter his chimney. How shocked he must've been to see a young boy killing criminals.

I reached an alleyway where the screams had gotten louder, but they were coming from a young girl, with people surrounding her. She was calling for help, but the people who shot the guns were nearing her. The girl was crying over two dead bodies. Presumably her parents, a simple mugging gone wrong, these me clearly weren't prepared. I jumped down in front of the girl.

"Step away from the girl! You even think of touching her and I'll end you!" I growled, these people made me sick, murdering a girls parents right in front of her. They raised their guns at me. I smirked under my mask. 'This is going to be fun!' I thought. They fired, to which I blocked all of them, I waited until they had to reload before charging at them. I roundhouse kicked the first one in the face, grabbing him by the arm and slinging him into another man. One pointed his gun at me starting to fire, I grabbed one of the criminals and held him up in front of me, having him soak up the bullets, his blood splattered in my face. I threw his body at the man and charged him, only the be grabbed by the mask, slipping it off, exposing my face. They held me back, one reloading a gun to shoot be. I head butted the man holding me back, breaking his nose, and slammed him into the wall behind me. I then ducked as the bullets flew overhead hitting the man behind me. One left. He was shocked to see my scarred face, and it was going to be the last thing he saw. I ran at him, not allowing him to load more bullets into his gun, before tackling him to the ground, punching him multiple times in the face. I never stopped my relentless punching, beating him to a bloody pulp, hitting him so many times his face wasn't even recognizable. He had stopped breathing a while ago, but this sick fuck deserved no respect for what he did.

I stood up, completely covered in blood, to be confronted with a scared girl, tears still in her eyes. She started to back away as I approached her. "Don't worry, I'm a good guy. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here to help. Take my hand." I reached out, slowly stepping towards her. "No! You'll hurt me. Let me stay with my mom and dad, they'll come back, I know it!" I looked down at the bodies beside her, holding back tears. "No you devil! You murdered those people! Leave me alone!" She screamed. Each word piercing into my heart, sharper than any knife in the world.

I pulled my hand back, having to leave before the cops showed up. I grabbed my mask off of the floor and left the girl to sob, walking away. Her eyes, I'll never forget them. I saw, not only fear, but actual hate. She thought I was a devil. I thought I was a hero. What am I?

I climbed up a roof and sat there, taking off my mask, holding it in my hands, analyzing its design, the skull on it, and now how it was stained with blood, along with my hands. I threw the mask to the side and sat there and thought about what happened. Adrenaline soon wore off and I became tired, before I fell asleep, I prayed for no nightmares this time.

I awoke to the sound of my phone going off, a rare thing nowadays. I, slightly perturbed read it, it said Lena. 'What the hell?' I reluctantly answered to hear a worried Lena on the other end. "Brayden. I'm coming to pick you up now. We need you to find Angela!"

"Wait what? Why do you even need my help?"

"Because we need you a lot of us got hurt in the mission that led to Angela's capture."

"What makes you think I'll come anyways? Go get someone else!"

"You will come, I know you love her, would you just let her die?!

"She left me to die the same way!"

"No she didn't, stop blaming everyone for what happened to you! It was your fault to begin with by going off on your own."

I sat there in silence. She was right. "I'm sorry luv, it's just..."

"Just pick me up."

"You got it."

A few hours later...

We got back to base, and I was furious with my past team. How could they let her get captured by Talon? Utterly ridiculous. If we find Angela dead, god have mercy on their souls, I will not hold back. I stomped through the base, with Lena awkwardly following behind. "I can't believe I'm back here with you." I snarled. "I can't either. Good to have you back."

I turned to her, looking her right in the eyes. "You know that's not what is happening here! I'm not staying here! Now shut up and follow me!" I snapped at her.

"Whatever you say." She said sarcastically, smirking slightly. I ignored her and carried on to the meeting room where I was supposed to go. I kicked the door open, hearing it crash into the wall behind it. None of them said a word. They just looked at me with pure shame in their eyes.

"You all let her get captured?! How did all of you, lose your most important person on the battlefield. I would like an explanation. And if you don't have one, you better feel damn sorry right now because she could be dead right now! Now I don't know what has been happening here without me but this is not what Overwatch is about. I expected to find the heroes I used to look up to as a kid! Not a bunch of jackasses sitting on their asses while a good friend dies. Maybe me being gone really did change you more than I thought! Ridiculous!" The flames in my hands were rising, my hair growing white, all my rage was being pulled out into one rant. "Winston!" He looked up at me. "Do you have any idea where they took her?"

"I assume they took her to their main base of operations, it is where they keep all prisoners."

"Oh great, now she is in the most heavily guarded base of all time! We are going to help her, no matter the cost! We are a family, we aren't friends! Family! We don't lose a part of it and just shrug it off. We are saving her! Lena, what would you do to someone who is harming Angela?"

"Oh they'd be dead in an instant."

I smiled. "Jack, how about you?"

"It would be a slow death."

"Mcree, what about you huh?"

"I'd dish out justice as always."

"And Bastion! What the hell would you do to someone who harmed Angela?"

"Beep bop bop bop beep!"

"Hell yeah! That's what I like to hear my friend! God I love you!" I joked. The agents cracked a few smiles and chuckled. They were starting to look alive again. "We are going to find out all the information we can about the base, and infiltrate it. But it will take all of us to work together. Then, we get Angela back, and burn that place to ground. I'll be happy to do it myself. We are Overwatch, the best of the best! We are Overwatch, the beacon of light and hope on a dark and dreary world. And when the bad rear their ugly god forsaken heads, we shoot that shithead right in the face! I don't know if that is the saying we should use for the posters but I like it!"

I scanned the room, all of them filled with hope, probably just as suprised to hear that come out of me as I was. They just sat there in complete awe. "Well? Get to it!" They all sat up and ran to other directions in the base, all to do their part in finding information about the base. I smiled wide, proud of what I had done. Lena blinked over to me and kissed me. I blushed slightly and looked at her. "What was that for?" I asked.

"I knew you were back." She said happily, before blinking off to help the others.

God I felt so good. I always had that in my mind, I always believed in Overwatch, I still trusted them. Lena was right. I was back.

Later that day...

"I think you all need to take a look at this." Winston said to us. We were all in one room, searching for any information about the base. My efforts proved fruitless but maybe Winston found something. I looked up and walked over. "What is it big guy?" I asked. "I think I've found the base we are looking for. Athena do a scan over its design and see if it matches the blueprints we found." He scrolled through, looking through security cameras, searching for Angela. "Yes Winston, it is an exact match. Time to get Angela back." Athena said. "Thanks." Winston said.

The next hour was spent planning a way to infiltrate. This was going to be hard. We were to have Ana snipe most guards on the outside, and have Hanzo take out the others. Once me, Lena, Genji, Jack, Zarya, Lucio, Mcree, Winston and Reinhardt made our way in, we were to find a way to open the shutters above the roof so Pharah could rain hell upon them while we snuck out with Angela. Sounds easy, but was gonna need a lot of trust to pull off. One of us slips up and we all die.

I was in my old room, feelings of nostalgia taking hold. I sighed and continued to get ready for the mission. I slipped out of my shirt, putting on a bullet proof vest, that slightly exposed my rather toned muscles. I was glad it hid my back area, that was still horribly scarred, with chunks of flesh completely missing. I was slipping into my pants when I noticed Lena leaning against the wall across from me. She looked at me like she never had before. "Enjoying the view?" I said, buttoning my pants. She rolled her eyes and chuckled. I then grabbed my hood, slipping into it, and I grabbed my actual mask, not the one with the skull on it made of cotton, the real one. The real me.

The flight there was silent, all of us focused on the mission. I was nervous to say the least, I wasn't planning on getting killed again. I sat next to Lena, as always, and tried to calm myself down, taking multiple deep breaths. "Don't worry, with me by your side you'll be fine." She assured me. "That's not what I'm worried about." I answered. "What is it luv?" She asked worried. "It's just, I'm scared that we are too late. What if we get there and she is like Widowmaker, or worse. I don't want to see that." She grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me right in the eye. "That won't happen, I promise."

We landed, nerves becoming worse than before. I was the first to stand up. "Got any great speeches for us?" Genji joked. "Yeah." I said before running out and puking. I came back to them. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous." I chuckled. "Don't worry, we are a family like you said." said. I nodded at her. "Well, let's go get mom back." I said, placing my mask on my face.

We sat down while observing Ana and Hanzo snipe from afar. They made it look easy. "Do not worry, we have your back if any more of them show up." Ana said. "Thanks. Alright you guys, I guess Reinhardt can take point with his shield. We are going in guns blazing. No mercy." "I can't tell if that was a joke." Zarya said confused. "I don't know exactly either." I said.

We approached the front door. "Alright, Zenyatta, you got the door?" I asked through the comms. "Yes Brayden. The base and I are one." He said. The door opened and we made our way in. It was hard to even think of sneaking with Reinhardt's loud footsteps.

"Alright you need to take a left to get to the prison cells." Winston said over the comms. "Thanks." We made our way through, before finding the shutter doors and opening them, allowing Pharah to enter. I gave her a thumbs up before hearing an alarm go off. "Here they come. Reinhardt, up and center, everyone else behind him. Lucio, give us some music." He nodded, before blaring music through his speakers. The bullets colliding with Reinhardt's shield. "Don't worry my friends, I am your shield." I started to fire at them burning anyone getting close enough. I watched in awe as the fight synced up with the music like a musical. I smiled wide, burning everyone, seeing Lena practically run laps around the enemy, confusing all of them. I saw Genji slicing through guys like butter, destroying everything in her path with her mech. Reinhardt charged in taking on 30 agents by himself, all while laughing hysterically. Jack just fired and stayed grumpy as always, ordering people and watching over them. And Pharah utterly destroyed the rest of them with her constant barrage of rockets. Soon enough they were all gone.

We were all tired and gasping for air, but we continued on to find Angela. We searched through every cell, until finally finding her, tied to a chair in complete isolation from all other cells. I walked in, basically collapsing at her feet. I then felt a shotgun be pressed against my head. "Don't move kid." Reaper chuckled. "I'd say the same to you Reaper." I whistled, and Reinhardt charged into him, pinning him against the wall. It was satisfying to hear him scream in agony. He would've died if he didn't turn into a mist before leaving, his laughs echoing throughout the facility.

I turned to Reinhardt and hugged the big man, which was awkward due to our size difference. I went back to Angela, who was now waking up. I untied her, picking her up off the chair. She looked up at me, her eyes widening. "B..br.. Brayden?" She muttered weakly. I looked at her, smiling wide. "Yeah, its me Mom." She then slipped back into a deep sleep. "I shall carry her." Reinhardt said proudly. I handed her to him, to which he carried her, as happy as I was to see her alive.

We boarded the plane and flew back home, proud of what we did. I was happy I came back. "Hey Lena. Thanks for calling me here." I said. "Anytime luv, I knew you still loved me!" I laughed lightly, "How could I not love the great Lena Oxton." I said sarcastically. She chuckled and leaned on my shoulder, quickly falling asleep. I kissed her forehead and went to sleep myself. No nightmares were gonna haunt me this time.


	14. Chapter 14

I had grown to enjoy the sounds of laughter and gossip that would echo throughout the facility. At first I thought of it as nothing but an annoyance, something to ignore, just to make the base sound less like a hospital and more like a house. But I soon grew to love it, learning information I had never knew, no matter of what importance. After all, I was an agent, and information was key to survival.

I had been on my way to the med bay, on my way to see mom. She hadn't woken up yet, but I had high hopes for today. My light footsteps sounded behind me, making me feel less alone. It was 2:00 in the morning, soon after the mission, everyone was trying to rest and heal their wounds that they sustained. I had gotten off scotch free, very rare nowadays. Lena still made fun of me for all the injuries I sustained in just 2 and a half years of being an agent. I didn't mind most of them, being able to stare at my reflection, gazing upon all the marks and memories made. You know what they say, chicks dig scars. I snorted in response to my own thought. "I wish."

The sounds of faint breathing sounded behind the door. I opened it slightly, fearing the noise would wake her. I stepped in slowly, hearing the door screech as I lightly shut the door. I turned to Angela, watching her as she slept rather peacefully. Even now her angelic looks lit up the room. She was as beautiful as always, both physically and emotionally. I took a seat next to her, watching as her chest rose up and down in a perfect rhythm. I took a hold of her hand, feeling it heat my own quickly.

"Hey mum, just wanted to check on you, make sure you're okay. I uh... brought you a little something." I dug through my bag I carried with me on the way here, pulling out a couple of roses. I straightened them out, them having become slightly flattened by my gear inside it. "There we go, perfect. I uh.. got you roses because you were allergic to tulips. Don't thank me.." I said quickly, as if she would interrupt me. "... I'd do anything for ya mom. If I'm being honest, you are probably the reason I even came back. Well that and I missed my sister a little bit. God I have to be the worst son you've ever had." I sniffed, holding in a few tears trying to escape, burning my eyes. "I... I almost killed Lena, and I killed so many innocents. I'm not a hero, far from it mum. I was just so lost without you, I thought you left me to die. But I realized what I really was doing, blaming you all for my condition, for my short comings, for my many flaws. I'm so sorry, I don't know how you all have forgiven me, or if you really haven't, but know I love all of you, the only family I ever had. I don't care about my deadbeat dad or my dead mom, I care about you. I'm never leaving again."

I felt Angela's thumb stroke across my hand, a reassuring action she used with people. I remember her doing that with me on my first mission. It made me feel at home, like people actually loved me. I looked up, the tears in my eyes rolling down my cheeks, falling ungraciously to the ground. Her blue eyes stared into mine own, there gaze making my heart melt.

"I already knew that Brayden, no need to remind me."

I smiled widely, my tears disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Are you okay, do you need anything at all? I can get you water or some ice to stop the swelling, or I could get something to numb the pain..."

"I'm fine really, just a little shaken. The thing that does hurt me is how you think of yourself. Keep that head up, there should be nothing but pride and compassion in your eyes."

"But I've killed so many, I'm no hero."

"Quit brooding. Jack does that enough for us all. You are a hero. We have all forgiven you for your mistakes. Now you must forgive yourself."

"Always good for a pep talk and a smile aren't you?" I smiled, thankful for the blessings bestowed upon me by even being able to see this woman. I prayed silently, not knowing what god to pray to, but doing so anyways.

"Always. Now I don't want to hear you talking about yourself like that ever again. Am I understood? If not I know of a room that could use cleaning. I know how you hate cleaning."

"Oh have mercy Angie."

Her nose scrunched at the rather stupid joke. "You know I hate that pun."

"I know, makes it all the more better. Now get some rest, you need sleep to recover fully."

"Since when were you the doctor here?" She said sarcastically, smiling wide.

"Since now. I mean, you did teach me a few medical tricks. Goodnight Angela."

The next day...

"Hey sleepyhead, wake up. It's almost 12:00 a clock."

I snapped my head up, feeling the soreness of my muscles, still stiff from the mission. I gazed into Lena's brown eyes, analyzing every bit of her appearance, her usual crazy hair even more ruffled up and shaggy, she had clearly just woken up as well. "Don't you mean, it's high noon?" I said in a poor imitation of my favorite cowboy, Jesse Mcree.

She smiled in return, shaking her head in response to the dumb joke and gesture, face palming. "What? I thought it was pretty good." I said, yawning. "Why'd you wake me up, I was getting my much needed beauty sleep." I said sarcastically, running my hand through my hair and posing.

"Sure, you really need it if I'm being honest mate. I woke you up to tell you I'm gonna be gone for a few weeks, I'm taking a vacation."

"Oooh, where are we going?" I said, assuming I would come along as always.

"Not this time, it's my little secret where I'm going. I'll only be gone 4 weeks. Don't look so sad."

She had noticed my prominent frown and occasional sigh. "It's just, I wanted to hang out, like the good old days ya know, I really messed things up between us, and wanted to make it up to you." I looked down, not able to look her in the eyes. She took a hold of my hands, lifting up my face and looking into my eyes as if she looked hard enough she would find what was wrong.

"Now you know that's not true, we are still family, I'm not leaving you for long little brother. Now look alive, you've got plenty of catching up to do with everyone. What has it been? 7 months? I'm sure Reinhardt has some stories to share. And what about Genji? He missed you as much as I did."

"Alright, I'll let you go this time, but next time I'm coming with you." I said, jokingly punching her arm, and she faked hurt. "You got it." She responded happily, messing up my brown smooth hair, before jumping off the bed and grabbing her things. "Bye!" She hollered before exiting. I waved at her, before laying back down, staring at the ceiling above me, studying every feature. I had grown accustomed to sleeping on rooftops and inside police cars where they thought they could hold me. Of course it wasn't a surprise to me to be able to burn the hand cuffs and escape easily. So, I wasn't planning on moving out of bed anytime soon, relaxing back, feeling it form around me. I sighed, coping with my thoughts and emotions. I had learned to control my thoughts much more than before, but emotions were a whole different thing. They controlled me just as much as I did them.

I eventually crawled out of bed, almost literally. The only thing driving me was the sharp pain in my stomach I had known too well back in London. Hunger. Time to eat some real food, not just the scraps I could barely find. Never really much time to take care of myself, always on the run.

I pushed the memories back into the void of thoughts I had running through my head like a stampede of wild elephants. I walked through the hallways, hearing the sound of good conversation coming from inside the cafeteria. A wave of nervousness hit me like a train. What if they hated me? What if they never forgave me at all? What if they had changed? What if I had changed?

"Hey Brayden! Come on and sit with us man! We got a lot of catching up to do!" Lucio called down, patting a seat next to him. He was sitting with Jack, Reinhardt, Genji, Mcree, and Pharah.

I smiled. Guess nothing really did change. Good.

3 weeks later...

These last few weeks had been a blast, even without Lena here. I hoped wherever she was she was having as much fun as I was. We had all caught up, telling each other stories of the things we had done in our lifetime. I had shared a few of my more badass moments being in London, trying to impress them. But of course Mcree one-upped me by telling us the most badass story on the planet. He had taken out 22 people with just 6 shots from his magnum! God I wish I was that cool! We had played poker, and I had finally learned how to properly play, but I still lost over 100 dollars to , who could not have been more annoying with how she celebrated, telling the whole base how I lost and making up stories of how much of a sore loser I was. Okay, maybe they weren't made up stories, but the point still stood, she was rude.

I got called down to Angela's office for a regular check up, and she had recently recovered and was back to her normal self, being a workaholic. Once she was finished, I smiled to her before getting up to leave, before she interrupted me; "Stop right there, sit back down. I've got a surprise for you!" She said excited, basically jumping up and down.

"You know I hate surprises." She then frowned. She stuck out her lip and made her lower lip quiver, giving me puppy dog eyes, making me feel guilty as always. I sighed. "Okay, but it better be good." I said, laying back down on the metal slab.

"Gee, this thing is hard. Ever heard of pillows?" I teased her.

"It's not for comfort, now give me your arm." She answered quickly.

I obeyed and stuck out my arm, not even looking. "I just don't get what the big de-ow!" I jumped back, feeling a needle enter my veins, pumping a liquid through me. "What the hell Angela?" I said slightly irritated, looking at the puncture wound.

"Oh don't be such a baby. You'll thank me in a few seconds."

"Whatever." I said, before she forced a mirror in my hands. I looked at her confused. "I don't get it." I said bored.

"Look again."

I obeyed her orders looking into the mirror. "What the h-" I felt my face, looking as the burn scars and scratches that went down my face be healed, being replaced with perfectly healthy skin. I looked down, seeing my arms be fully regenerated with new skin, replacing the deep scars and scabs.

"Well? Do you like it?" She said, worried maybe I didn't.

"Like it? Are you kidding? I love it!" I jumped up, hugging her, running circles in her office, pinching myself as if it was a dream. "How did y-"

"I had been working on nanotechnology for a while now, testing it to see its effectiveness for healing damaged skin and replacing scar tissue. I then implemented my knowledge and research into developing nanobots that would fully restore your skin!" She said, as happy as I was. "The only thing I could not restore was your eye. I fear that may not work the way I would want it."

"Good! I love this eyepatch anyway! Thank you so much mom! I don't know how to repay you!" I said, not able to contain my excitement.

"Just think of us being even now. You did save me from Talon remember?"

"Oh thank you mum! I love you so much! Now I gotta go tell everyone about what you did for me! I gotta show 'em the new me!" I sprinted out the door, looking for anyone in the hallways. I ran around like a little child on Christmas, making so much noise as I called everyone's names for them to come see me.

2 days later...

I was just getting used to my new looks, happy to see a brand new me in the mirror. I had a permanent smile plastered onto my face, never once fading away. I even smiled during the firefights between us and Talon agents. I had never felt more alive.

My thoughts were interrupted by Winston calling me to his office, sounding slightly panicked. I quickly ran to his office, seeing as this was such a rare occasion. What happened?

I hopped up into his office, completely skipping the stairs. I took a seat behind Winston, who was furiously typing on his keyboard. I soon caught my breath, worry creeping into my heart.

He turned around in his chair, only a few feet from me.

"What happened big guy?" I said happily, trying to mask the worry.

"It's Lena, we need to get to her. During a mission Mcree found information about an attack on Lena, they had somehow stuck a tracking device on her during her vacation. We need to get to her now before anything happens to her!"

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Round everyone up and let's go get her!" I said, scared we may be too late.

"We can't, all of us coming would attract too much attention, and they would follow us back to base, comprising our safety! We need to send 2 agents in, and we figured you would want to come get her, since you know her best. We are also sending Mcree with you, since he is refusing to stand by, worried for Lena's safety. Good luck! Bring her back to us!"

I nodded before sprinting off to the hangar and jumping into the nearest jet, with my gear, and some normal clothes in case we had to go in public. Mcree had been waiting for me, not saying a word before we left, worry clearly in his eyes. "Don't worry Jesse, we'll get her. I promise." I called down to him, trying to reassure him. "I know." He called back. I didn't bother flipping to autopilot, going full speed to London, where the tracking device (we use those on all agents in case one of us goes missing) on Lena, which led us to London. I chuckled. "Figures, you would go back home wouldn't you Lena..."

A few hours later...

We had landed on some familiar looking rooftops. We both exited, entering normal clothes in case we needed to go down there. Mcree still wore his hat, something about bad luck without it. Don't remember, I was too busy scanning the crowds. A thanksgiving parade was being held in the heart of London, even though it was 1 day before thanksgiving. It was nighttime, the fireworks blasting off in the night. I gazed as the flames danced along the dark night along with the stars. I had been following the tracker we had, but the location was slightly buggy, as it wouldn't always show up. So I had gotten used to using my eyes above the rooftops, ever since my days as a vigilante. I looked for any distinct features and that belonged to Lena. I was deep in thought, twiddling my thumbs, which had become a habit, until I felt Mcree pat my back and take a seat next to me, interrupting my search. I turned my attention to him, finding a smug smile and a slightly tilted hat in front of me.

"Found her?" He asked.

"No, but keep your eye on the tracker, I'll keep searching manually."

"Okay."

A long moment of silence was shared between us, both looking as hard as we could. I was in perfect position over the entire parade, so that wasn't the problem.

"Somethin' on ya mind partner?" I heard Jesse ask.

"It's nothing, I'm just worried we might not find her. Like what if the tracker is completely wrong. If we don't get to her, she is dead. I don't even want to think of that."

"Don't worry. We'll find her. I trust you. And I won't let that happen. Not on my watch."

I smirked, a joke passing through my head, distracting me for a moment.

"What?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Don't you mean, not OVER your watch?"

I turned, expecting to see a smile on his face. But nothing but a disappointed stare, as if he couldn't believe what I just said. "God damnit Brayden." He slightly chuckled. "Well, I'm gonna find some quality food 'round here. Call me if you find her."

I nodded, hearing him take a few steps, hearing them fade away. Then, a peculiar sight found its way into my eyes. Brown, spiky hair, a jacket clearly hiding a device. A choronal accelerator. Lena!

"Jesse, get back here! I found her!"

"Huh, where?" I could hear him turn back, taking a few steps. I pointed, directly towards Lena. "Good eye kid. Let's go get her."

We both climbed down the ladder we took to get up here, almost becoming lost in the crowds, which moved like waves, its currents almost impossible to go against, dragging you with it. If it wasn't for the tracker, we may have lost her. It beeped constantly, getting louder and more violent as we got closer.

"Lena!" I called out to her. She was wearing jeans, a leather jacket, just barely able to hide the choronal accelerator, and her favorite sunglasses on. She turned towards me, and I only now noticed she was with two other people. A older woman, maybe in mid-forties, brown hair just like Lena, along with her brown eyes. And a young girl, didn't look even a day over 8, almost an exact copy of Lena, her spiked hair not as long though. It was more curly than anything. Lena's eyes lit up, a large smile forming.

She jogged over to me, arms open, expecting a hug, which I gladly returned. She broke off of it, looking at me and Mcree. She pinched my cheeks like she was my grandma. "Oh my god. I missed you guys so much!" Her eyebrows then turned to a frown, as she scanned my face, looking confused. "Where are all your scars luv?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nanobots or something. It was science mumbo-jumbo, long story short Angela healed me of my scars. Now who are these people?" I said, turning towards the people behind her.

"Oh, well this is my mum. Say hi mum." She said, pointing towards the older woman.

"Hi." She shyly said, clearly nervous.

"Hey. Don't worry, we're friends of your daughter. Overwatch n' stuff. My name is Brayden by the way. Don't mind the eyepatch, I'm still kind." I greeted her, shaking her hand.

"Howdy. I'm Mcree."

I turned my attention to the little girl. "Now who's this little bundle of fun?" "That's Riley" Lena answered. I smiled, and the little girl blushed, trying to smile back. I picked her up, placing my hands underneath her arms and carrying her into the sky. She giggled with each time I went up and down. "Why didn't you tell me you had a sister!? You just call me Uncle Brayden!"

"I was scared you may tell the others. My family is supposed to think I'm dead."

"Hello Riley."

I turned back to see Mcree face palming. "Oh, right." I said, placing the girl down, who was still giggling. "Right. We need to get you out of here, you have Talon agents after you. Hold still;" I said, scanning her, then locating the tracker placed on her. I took it off, scorching it in my hands. The rest of the Oxton family jumped back, surprised by my power. "Sorry, we have to meet on such bad terms, but we need to leave, we have reports of-agh!" I felt a sharp sting hit me in the arm, finding a dart lodged deep inside. I ripped it out, ignoring the pain. I immediately felt drowsy. "Sleep dart. Shit..." I fell down, hearing the panicked screams of the crowd and gunshots. They were soon drowned out by Mcree firing back, starting a firefight.

It took all the strength I could muster to even get up. I stood up, analyzing my surroundings. I saw a panicked Lena, shielding her mother and sister from gunfire. I ran over to her, digging through my pockets, finding her pulse pistols inside. "Help Mcree, I'll protect your family." She nodded, taking her pistols and sprinting into battle. I could hear Riley crying, the loud gunshots getting closer and closer. I turned to her, her mother trying to calm her down. I grabbed her by the shoulders, lightly shaking her.

"Hey, look at me. Everything is fine. Lena will be okay, trust me, she can take care of herself. And if those bad guys get close. I've got them. Don't worry Riley." I smiled, calming her down a bit. I heard footsteps come near, seeing a laser pinned on me. I dodged to the side, hearing a bullet whiz by. The Talon agent charged me with a knife. Bad mistake. Even when having my melatonin levels severely increased, making me very tired, I was still able to tackle the man to the ground, before knocking him out with one punch. I slumped back into the wall behind us.

Lena's mother thanked me, a very scared look on her face. I felt another dart pierced into my neck, making me pull it out. "God, how many of these do they have?" My eyelids grew heavier by the second, it was like trying to carry a car.

"All clear!" I heard Lena call out, and her family stepped out, hugging her. I stood back up, walking slowly over to Mcree, before slumping over into his arms, falling asleep instantly.


	15. Chapter 15

I awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. The squeaking of a loose ceiling fan filling my eardrums, a rather unpleasant sound. But the problem was that the whole room was pink. Full of teddy bears, fake tea cups, newest girls toys and dresses. "What the hell?"

I slipped out of the teddy bear covered blankets I was sleeping in and stretched, feeling a soreness in my right arm. I looked to it to find bandages covering the little hole in my arm from the sleep darts. I realized the steady breathing of a girl sleeping, causing me to look to the left to find Riley sleeping peacefully. I smiled, it was a good sight to see in such a cruel world. Maybe there was hope after all.

I slowly creeped out of Riley's room, not wanting to disturb her. I then pulled out my phone to inform Winston of our situation and that we were okay. He then responded with "good" And "happy thanksgiving"

I smiled, realizing it was Thanksgiving day. A sense of nostalgia overtook me as I remembered when I was a kid, back when my dad was actually taking care of me. He spent hours on turkey, and all the other things you could think of. Of course they were all over cooked and not properly made, but I ate it anyway, knowing full well he put a lot of effort into it, and actually cared about me. Back when I loved him.

I shook the thought off, not realizing I was standing eerily inside a dark hallway. It must've been early morning. I made my way through the unfamiliar hallway until a photo caught my eye. It was a old photo, it had Lena's mother and father, and I assume a young Lena in it, they were all smiling happy. This must've been before the accident leading to the creation of the choronal accelerator. She was so happy, still with the hair that would seamlessly defy gravity. I wiped a bit of the dust off of it, before a small hand grasped mine, pulling me backward.

Lena's POV

I woke up in my old bedroom, it being almost exactly like how I left it, unclean and unorganized. Just like me as a kid. I stood up, stretching, realizing it was Thanksgiving day, I'm probably gonna have to help cook too. Ugh... I'm so bad at it though.

"Guess I'll check on Riley and Brayden." I said to myself, before dressing in some sweatpants and a t-shirt, and walking out the door.

I made my way down the old hallway, looking in every room, all of them filling me with warm memories. My thoughts were interrupted by me realizing I was right in front of Riley's room, where Brayden was oddly sleeping in. God I would kill to see him in that room, all those teddy bears and pink. I shook my head before smiling, opening the door to find an unusual sight.

Riley was sitting with Brayden, both on very small chairs, that Brayden awkwardly tried to sit on without breaking it. They were both chatting over fake tea, a thing that Riley did a lot with her friends. Brayden weirdly seemed to be enjoying himself.

He noticed me open the door, before smiling at me, motioning for me to sit down with him. I happily obliged, picking out another small pink chair, before sitting down, folding my long legs to properly fit in the chair.

"Good morning Riley." I said, giving her a slight peck on the cheek. "Now what are you two cuties doing here?" I said, teasing Brayden.

"She was just teaching me how to properly hold a tea cup. Now, like this?" He said, holding a horribly small tea cup in his large hands, holding one pinky finger out, and taking a sip of the imaginary tea. He looked to me for advice. I nodded, holding in my laughter.

1 hour later...

Brayden's POV

I walked down stairs with Riley and Lena, both following behind me. We found Mcree chatting with Lena's mother over coffee. I smirked, turning towards Lena. "Looks like we got some love birds on our hands."

"Yeah, and we're gonna have one dead bird with a stupid hat." She said, trying to walk down stairs before I stopped her, calming her down with a smile and a hug. That had always seemed to work.

"Are we good now? No killing Mcree right? Right?"

She folded her arms, pouting like a child. I looked her in the eyes. "Right." She finally said. I lifted my hands. "Alright, now let's be civilized." I joked. She walked ahead of me, greeting both her mother and Mcree, who was confused why she was slightly perturbed. He looked to me, I just shrugged, laughing lightly.

"Mr. Brayden? Can you help me with my math homework?" Riley asked me, tugging on my arm. "I don't know, what's in it for me?" I asked, smiling. "Um... we could have more tea!" She said.

"Deal." I said.

We both sat down at a small desk, and she dug through her backpack, pulling out a sheet of paper. I turned on the desk lamp, seeing simple subtraction. I smiled, turning to Lena. She walked over, watching the whole situation.

"Okay, problem number 1. 3-1"

"I don't get it, what am I supposed to do?" She said, tapping her pencil on the desk.

"Hold on one second." I said, walking off to the kitchen, searching before finding a bunch of apples. "Bingo." I said, grabbing ten of them. I walked back, placing them in Lena's hands. "Hold this love." I said.

"Okay, say I have 3 apples." I pulled 3 apples from Lena's arms. "Then, I gave one away to you. How many do I have?" I asked, holding the apples up.

She counted by pointing at them. "Two?" She said.

"There ya go, see it's easy. Think you can do this yourself?" I asked. She simply nodded, continuing on with her homework, happily humming an unfamiliar tune. I turned back to Lena, who was smiling at me. I took the apples, placing them back where I found them.

"How are you so good with children?" She asked, folding her arms.

"Always wanted a kid when I grew up." She raised an eyebrow. "You flirting with me?" She asked.

I blushed. "Ww... what?! No, I mean, when I grow up! I would never... I mean, not unless I was older... if circumstances were different... I'm not saying your unattractive .. I mean... I I...-"

She kept her eyebrows raised, analyzing every movement and word I said, smiling wider and wider. "You've got a crush on me?"

"N-n-no! We're basically siblings! I'm too young! Stop it now! Just stop please! I-would never date you. Not in a mean way! I... I-" I kept stuttering, not able to finish any coherent sentences.

"I'm just kidding!" She started laughing very hard, not able to contain herself. She was holding her sides as if they would burst. "Y-you were so embarrassed...(laughs) y-you really thought I was gonna flirt back or something! (More uncontrollable laughter)

My cheeks were as red as the apples I used to teach subtraction to Riley. "Stop laughing! That was mean! You made me really uncomfortable!" I said, trying to calm down.

That only seemed to make the laughing more hysterical. "Oh I'm sorry, did the big bad Brayden get flustered?" She eventually calmed down, her laughs turning into a light chuckle. "Are you done?" I asked, slightly annoyed. "Yeah, I'm done." She wiped the tears in her eyes. "Okay okay, maybe it was a little funny." I admitted.

Our conversation was interrupted by Riley grabbing my hand again. She showed me a paper full of answers for every question. "Can you check them? I want to know if they are right." I stroked my chin stereotypically with the occasional nod and "mmhm, this is interesting."

I handed it back to her. "Good job Riley! Up top!" I said, raising my hand for a high five. She jumped up, lightly smacking it.

"Lena?" Her mother called out from the kitchen. "Would you do me a favor?"

"Yes mum." She said, going down to the kitchen. They whispered to each other, looking back my way a few times. My curiosity rose. Lena walked over to me, not saying a word. "What?" I asked.

She tackled me to the floor, holding me down on the couch behind us. "Lena?! What the hell?" I said, slightly struggling. I saw her mother come out of the kitchen with a needle. My eyes widened. "What?! No! Please, anything but that! I hate needles."

"Mcree, be a darling and hold his head down. I can't have him struggling."

"Yes ma'am." He said, before tipping his hat and holding me down, his metal arm cold against my skin. "Don't worry kid, we're helping you."

"You know I hate needles, can I have a pill, or something? Why are you even doing this?!" I said.

"It is to make sure you don't fall asleep again from the darts, they have nasty side effects. We are going to help you dear." She said calmly.

"Well ya coulda just told me." I said, not struggling anymore. Mcree and Lena let go of me, realizing I wasn't struggling.

"Now where's the fun in that?" She said laughing at my response to a needle. I stuck out my arm, bracing myself for a needle, but she just shook her head. "Your neck please. We need to get it into an artery, and I assume you don't want us to pull down you pants to get your femoral artery, so stay still."

"Will I get a lollipop?" I joked.

"Mors than that." She said.

"I'm getting TWO lollipops." I joked again.

She pulled out the needle, ready to insert it. I bared my teeth, bracing myself. It entered, but it didn't hurt, it felt good actually.

"Thank you Ms. Oxton." I said.

She nodded, putting her needle back into the cabinet she took it out of. "Didn't know you of all people had a fear of needles." Mcree said, relaxing into the couch. "I'm squeamish, I don't like the idea of things entering my veins."

"Brayden, can you be a dear and fetch Riley, I'm fairly certain I saw her go outside."

"Yes ma'am." I said, standing up. I exited the house, finding a tea cup on the ground. She must've dropped it.

"Riley? Riley?" I said looking around. There she was! She was sitting in a chair, but being oddly still. "Riley?!" I turned her around, finding her mouth duct taped and fear in her eyes. "What the hell?" I took her back to the front door opening it and placing her inside. But I shut the door behind her, and I propped up the door to lock it from the outside. I didn't want her coming back outside. I knew Talon was here, I turned around, to see my guess be proven true. There they were, sitting in the middle of the road, all guns pointing at me. There must've been 50 of them. I couldn't take all of them. But I could take enough down to where they wouldn't be a threat to Lena and Mcree.

I held up my shield stopping all bullets, and burning all of them. I looked back at them showing slight fear in there eyes. I smiled wide. I charged at them as the all reloaded. I jumped into them, fire sparking as I grew angrier and angrier. I broke the first mans arm, sending him flying back to the rest. A few of them toppled over along with the first man. Another man swung his gun at me, I ducked, punching him in the nose, sending it back into his brain, killing him him instantly. I shot fire at ten others, burning them to a crisp. A few of them fell back, finishing reloading and firing, I took multiple to the back, before running to him, tackling him to the ground. I burned him alive with my hands, before being shot again, this time in the chest. I fell down, dying. I needed help. I crawled back, hearing them chuckle, I clutched the tiny tea cup in my blood soaked hands, remembering the child. I hope she has a good life. I looked in the window to see Lena trying to open the door, before Mcree pulled her back. He nodded, understanding what I was doing. I was buying them time to escape. I gave him a thumbs up, before they disappeared from my sight. I smiled, glad I gave them time. A man stepped on the tea cup in my hand, smashing it to pieces.

Then something snapped inside of me, all of the things I held back, took control. The need to survive, the need to kill. My eye sparked with flame like never before, my entire body lit up like a campfire. I could feel every bit of energy I had left go into this last stand. I stood up, all of them completely scared and running the other way. I flew into two of them, just coming into contact with them killing them instantly. That only made them run faster. I grabbed a man by the throat, digging into his skin, burning his flesh, I felt his warm blood trickle down my arm, I watched as he slowly died, choking on his own blood. I felt no empathy, no care, no love. Only hatred. I punched the other man through the back, leaving a gaping hole in his back and chest. I grabbed the other man, ripping him in half, watching as his team ran, calling for help. They all begged for mercy, something they never showed. I gathered all the strength I had left into one wave of fire, sending it towards them, they ran, it didn't matter though, as the fire engulfed all of them. I listened to their agony as they desperately tried to cling on it life.

Then, it stopped, I wasn't on fire anymore, and I felt no energy inside of myself. I barely stood up straight. "What have I done?" I asked.

I felt a bullet enter my lung, the loud bang of a sniper rifle I knew all to well. Widowmaker. I tried to stay calm, to stop the bleeding and steady my breathing like Angela taught me. Widowmaker jumped down from the roof she was on, a devilish smile upon her face. "Don't worry, I didn't hit your heart. You'll live. And your friends will come for you, just like I want them to." She smiled. I gasped for air, each breath I took stinging. The last thing I saw was her lift her gun to knock me out.


	16. Chapter 16

I woke up in an unfamiliar room, the only source of light in it being a lamp dangling from the ceiling. I tried to move, only to be restrained by handcuffs, which were then strapped to the uncomfortable metal chair I was in. I was completely stripped of my gear, only a bloody, white shirt, and grey pants, looking like prison pants. Hell, everything in this room looked like a stereotypical prison movie, even the one sided glass, where people could look through. I smiled, jokes coming to mind. I struggled, trying to summon fire in my hands, only to feel too weak to do it. I was stuck here.

I heard the raspy chuckle of my old enemy, Reaper. "Look who finally decided to wake up. Good, been meaning to talk to you."

"Same here buddy, god is it good to hear your voice Gabriel. We've never had a proper chat in ages my boy. Come, sit, make yourself at home." I joked, my dried and cracked lips curving upwards into a smile.

I felt a hand smack me across the face, knocking me from my sleepy state. "Gee, they ever teach you manners here at base. I mean seriously. This is not how you treat a guest my friend."

"Shut your stupid mouth, before I shut it for you!" He growled, his menacing smile from before dissolving.

"Oh good luck with shutting me up. Really, Overwatch had enough trouble as it is. You might as well just let me ramble on. So how was your day?"

"I thought I told you to shut it!"

"Okay! Someone is in a pissy mood. Just trying to make small talk." I said sarcastically. I chuckled lightly. He had no idea who he was trying to interrogate.

I felt another fist connect with my face, this one hurting a lot more. He had brass knuckles on his fists. I spat the blood in my mouth to the floor below me. "Now where is your base of operations? I'm only gonna ask nicely once." He cracked his knuckles, knowing he was gonna need more than that to get the information he wanted out of me. But then again, this was the part of the job he loved.

"Go ahead. In the words of my good friend Mcree, I ain't no snitch." I bared my teeth, a bit of fear rising in my heart. I heard him chuckle once again. "Fine with me."

He punched me, bruising my cheek almost as soon as he made contact with it. I winced, holding in the tears. This was only the beginning. He punched again, and again, and again, and again. His punches were relentless, asking the same questions each punch. "You know Gabriel, I really wish you weren't such a stick in the mud. I mean really, do you ever laugh over something that isn't completely sadistic?" I smiled, showing as much blood as I did teeth. Another punch, this one straight to the forehead. He pulled back his arm, raring for another punch, but I tipped the chair to side, dodging the blow, before tilting back to the other side, to dodge the other swing. "Ha ha, gotta be quicker than that. They teach you nothing about interrogation here at Talon. I mean, you're always supposed to break my spirit first before you start swinging willy-nilly. Ever watch a movie or crime show?"

I felt him kick me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. "Shut your fucking mouth!" He screamed.

"But I thought you wanted me to tell you where our base was? I mean if you really don't want me to- arghh!" He punched me again, this one piercing into my skin. I looked to the floor, to see it a dark red. The floor was completely covered in my blood. Some of it was even on the one sided glass. He had completely given up on questioning me, just punching me for the hell of it.

He kept punching for what seemed like an eternity; each punch bruising where ever it landed. I had given up on taunting him, not even trying to waste my breath on him. It wasn't gonna work like it does with most people. He wasn't stupid or easily manipulated. He eventually ceased punching me, leaving me alone in the room.

7 days, it has been 7 days I've been stuck in this hell hole. Or at least 7 times they let me fall asleep because they grew bored of torturing me. I had lost track of time a while ago. I hadn't budged, not even a little bit. Each time they would shut off the lights, leaving me in complete darkness. Sometimes I couldn't tell if I was asleep or awake, not seeing a bit of light until they came back with another uninspired way of torturing me. Baseball bats, bare fists, gases, drowning, knives, electrocution. I had seen it all before, and had grown accustomed to the pain of each of the torture sessions, blocking most of it out.

But one day, Gabriel came with no weapons, and no intention of hurting me. He actually had brought food, actual food, not the garbage they would feed me once a day. My stomach grumbled, desperately clawing for food. I must've lost ten pounds due to how much skinnier I look. I raised an eyebrow. "Taking me out on a date Gabriel? Such a gentleman." I said sarcastically. "Shut up and let me untie you so you can eat." He growled.

I felt my hands become free and I dropped out of my chair. I didn't even bother trying to escape. There were guards outside my cell every day and night. I can't escape on my own, I just have to wait for my friends to come save me. I crawled quickly to the tray of food in front of me, devouring it like a predator would do its prey. I hadn't even bothered to really see what it was. It was some sort of meat, water, and a relatively dry biscuit, but I ate it all the same, eating it quickly, scared it would be taken from me. I heard Gabriel walk beside me, making his way in front of me. I pulled the tray closer, leaning over it to protect it. "Don't worry, I'm not going to take it."

"Meat is a little cold." I muttered. Before he could respond I summoned and flicker of fire, struggling to keep it ignited. I held it under it, cooking it slightly, before resuming eating. "May not be enough to burn a man alive, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my food." I slightly chuckled, almost forgetting I was being held captive.

Gabriel sat down in front of me, almost relaxing a little bit. I swear I heard him laugh a bit at my joke. "So why are you feeding me? Are you setting me free?"

"We don't want you collapsing from starvation on camera today, so I figured I would feed you more than usual."

I growled. "Whatever for?" I said.

"To show your friends your still alive. We heard you like attention and figured we would give you the spotlight. We are then going to lure them into a trap, making them do exactly what we want them to."

"What if I tell them it's a trap?"

"It's not live, so we can re-do it as many times as we need. And if you don't mess up any of the recordings, we may actually let you be fed normal food. If not, each re-do is a good hour of torture, so I suggest you do what we want. I almost feel bad for you, knowing that you are luring your friends into a trap, leading them to their deaths. I bet you'll feel so bad, watching your precious Lena die."

I looked up, glaring at him. "You leave her out of this! You touch her and I swear to god I'll-"

"What? Die along with her? I hope so."

"They are coming to save me, just you wait!" I said.

"Oh really?" He dug through his pockets, before pulling out a photo. It was a picture of Lena and Angela smiling a laughing as they celebrated a mission well done. "A photo taken by a drone we stationed there. They look pretty happy without you. Hell, you should thank us, we are reminding them you even still exist." He growled, before exiting the room, leaving me in the dark again.

I only sat there, left alone with my thoughts. The only time I had ever seen my friends in the past few days was in my dreams, hearing their voices, feeling them hug me, assuring me it was alright, talking to me in hushed whispers. I fell back onto my back, laying on the cold hard floor below me, sighing as I held in my tears. "Brayden what the fuck have you gotten yourself into now?" I asked myself, almost expecting an answer. I only sat there, waiting for the end of this nightmare to come, hoping I could just wake up, in my bed, the smell of tea brewing, Lena waking me up, chatting with the rest of the agents, having a nice dinner with them as always. But no, nothing ever came. And nothing ever will.

Lena's POV

I poked at my food, not feeling particularly hungry at the moment. I was still hard at work on finding Brayden's whereabouts, and I have never fully taken my mind off of it. Me and Mcree had both searched the area we last saw him in, but there was not clue as to where he was taken. It's as if he vanished off the face of the earth. The conversations of my friends served as only background noise to me as I stared off in the distance, hard at thought. I would've kept staring if not for Hana, who shook my shoulder, giving me a concerned look. "You okay Lena? Are you still thinking about Brayden?"

"I really can't get my mind off him to be honest. I'm worried, if he was safe he would've returned already. Or we would have at least heard from him. We need to find him."

"Don't worry, we are all hard at work. We'll find him, trust me. I miss him too, seems like it's been ages since me and him had a little competition in a video game. He's the only one who isn't a noob." She said lightheartedly, smiling brightly at me.

I chuckled a bit at the joke, though worry still finding a way to cross my train of thought every now and then.

"Hey Lena, you've any idea where Winston is? Haven't heard from him today." Jack asked from across the table.

"He said he wasn't hungry, too busy looking for Brayden. Genji is helping him. I hope they find something soon."

"Oh. Good. But don't worry about Brayden. I trust we will find him soon enough." He said, smiling at me.

"Yes, the kid is strong for his age." Zarya said, before continuing eating.

"I believe he can overcome any obstacles in his way. He will survive." Mei said, cheerful as always, always hopeful and full of joy and life.

"Thanks guys, but I don't need a pep talk, I need his location." Lena said, that sounding harsher than she wanted it to. Almost on cue Winston came over the intercom, anger in his voice.

"Everyone report to my office immediately. I've found Brayden." Everyone stood up at once, that short sentence enough to send all the agents into a full on sprint through the hallways, Lena in front of them, Angela right behind her. They all muttered and whispered to each other, all of them confused and worried. They all reached his lab, not wasting a moment to hurry up the stairs. They all either found awkward seats on the ground or just stood, but all of them listening intently. I cared not for comfort, I needed answers. Winston's look on his face did not help my already pessimistic thoughts, and neither did Genji sighing and cursing.

"An encrypted message was given to me. Before I could trace who it came from, it corrupted, leaving only the video given to me in the message. It's not the greatest thing to watch either. So please, prepare yourself."

The video played, projecting itself on the screen behind Winston. In the video, there was nothing but a bruised and battered Brayden tied to a chair, his blood soaking the ground below him. He had clearly been tortured, and the look of fear on his face was something no one had ever truly seen before. Everyone gasped and listened closely, fearing for what would happen next. "Oh god." I muttered to myself. Suddenly Reaper walked in front of the camera, a gun in hand. I held my breath, barely able to watch. "Go on and tell them how you feel Brayden." Reaper growled. Brayden only glared at Reaper, spitting on the floor. Reaper then turned to the camera, moving towards it. "As you can see, your friend here has been tortured beyond belief, and has got himself into quite the predicament. He was captured by my dear friend Widowmaker, who had almost killed him. You wouldn't believe this, but he wasn't always such a mute. I had to whip the kid into shape, teach him a few lessons. Now, the kid begged me to allow him to speak for a minute, which I generously accepted. Go on and tell them what you want." Reaper walked off screen, the camera zooming in on Brayden. He actually smiled, showing he was still himself. Most of us couldn't help but smile back. His grin was contagious, even when he had just previously been tortured.

"I just wanted to talk to a few of you guys. But before I do, know I love each and every single one of you guys. Angela, who am I kidding? Mum, that's the correct term. Thank you. Jack, you're an ass sometimes, but I love you. You're my unofficial dad around the base to be honest. Winston, big guy, best scientist I've ever met. Lucio, we really need to get back on that song we were making." I heard Lucio respond with a light chuckle, seeing him nod. "Hana, can't wait to kick your ass in another game soon. Mei, you are the nicest person I've ever met. Reinhardt, you are a kind person, even if you look rather threatening." He smiled, pausing for a second. "Mcree, I love you sir, you helped me through tough times. Not only emotionally but also in battle. For that, I owe you. Genji, you're like a brother to me, no offense Hanzo. Zenyatta, experience tranquility my friend. Bastion, beep bop boop beep." He said, smiling, spitting out some blood. Bastion gave a thumbs up to the screen. "Well shit they are telling me to hurry up, so I'm going to skip to Lena." He paused for a moment. Everyone looked towards me, to see my reaction. "Where do I begin? I have so many emotions I feel when I think of you. I guess it's love? I don't fully know, I probably have head trauma and won't remember a thing I said tomorrow. But if I die, know I love y-"

His sentence was interrupted by a gunshot, which pierced his chest. He yelled in pain, coughing out blood. Everyone gasped, fearing he was dying. "No!" I screamed, moving closer to the screen. He was then pushed back onto the floor, a group of Talon agents kicking him and punching him, his groans of pain in the background as Reaper took the camera in his hands and spoke; "You have 48 hours to save your friend. Clocks ticking." He said, before smashing the camera.

The screen went blank, leaving us all in silence, all of us processing what had just happened. Thoughts raced through my mind, enough to drive me insane. I fought the urge to break down into tears, the thought of what is happening to him hurting my very soul. I was the first to stand, everyone looking to me. I shrugged. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get him back."

"Not so fast, we can't just go charging into base. It could be a trap." Winston argued.

"But.." I tried to argue, before Angela interrupted me.

"As much as I hate to say it, he is right. We need to have a plan before we do anything. We can discuss it in the morning. For now we need sleep, especially if we are going to this base, they will know we are coming.

"But you heard him. We have 48 hours to get him back. And who knows how long ago they sent it. He could be dead already. We need to go tonight! He would do the same for us."

"Wait... Lena..." Genji called out to me. I ignored him, making my way back to my room. "Let her go, she needs to be alone for a while." I heard Angela say. I stormed off, furious that they would risk losing him just for their sleep. He would've already saved us if our situations were flipped.

I opened my door, sighing. I ran my fingers through my hair, my thoughts going rampant. I sat on my bed, trying to control them. I had a tough time convincing myself to not go save Brayden by myself. My emotions ranged from love to despair, all of them pulling me to do different things. I fought off them all, deciding that sleep may be the best thing for me after all. I sat there motionless for hours, before finally calming my nerves, and sleep swiftly took me.


	17. Chapter 17

Authors Note

This chapter is going to be mostly from Lena's point of view. It's mostly going to feature Lena and Brayden. I also want to thank you guys for all the support. The support is what makes me want to write these, knowing I can make people happy with my writing. Now on with the chapter!

Lena's POV

I snapped from my bed in a cold sweat, a yell escaping my lips as I sat up abruptly. God that nightmare was too real. I don't even want to think of it to be honest. I hoped my scream was not loud enough to wake anyone else up. I sighed, placing my head in my hands, wiping away the sweat. My dreams have been haunted ever since Brayden's capture. They all featured the same things. I was always running in slow motion as everything else went at normal speeds. I always chased after Brayden, his voice whispering in my ear the whole time, the same words said, becoming more intense as I got closer; "Why didn't you save me?!" When I finally reached him, it was too late, as he would slowly fade away, leaving me in darkness.

I shuddered, shaking off the thoughts and stepping out of bed. It was still quite dark outside, it was only 2:00 in the morning. I had fallen asleep with the tracker located on Brayden still turned on, and it was beeping quite faintly and slowly, barely even noticeable. My mind flashed back to the video, him being shot, horribly tortured on screen. And what he said; "I love you." Those three words echoed throughout my head, ringing in my ears. We had said that to each other multiple times before, after all Overwatch was like a family, but this one felt more direct, more meaningful, as he was scared he would die soon. Scared there would be no tomorrow. I haven't been able to fully get that out of my head, as I thought about all the things I could've said, or even done, to prevent this. He had saved my sister and mother, and gave me and Mcree enough time to escape, and payed dearly for it, being tortured for the last week.

I lightly growled, before I grabbed the tracker, and grabbed my bag, placing it on the bed in front of me. I dug through, pulling out my gear. The pilots jacket, my goggles, my pistols. I looked at them for a moment, thinking over my decision. Do I wait for my team to make a plan and go with them, the much more safe option, but also risking Brayden's life, or do I go by myself, and save him. They won't be expecting one person after all, they'll be expecting a whole team.

I reluctantly chose the latter, going to save him myself. Who knows what could be happening to him right now? I fully prepared myself for the consequences while getting ready. I could lose my life doing this. But Brayden would do the same. I can't let him down. Not again.

I quietly snuck out of my room, closing the door behind me slowly. The echo of my footsteps in the halls seemed to sound 10 times louder when I was trying to sneak. I slowly made my way to the hangar, where many planes were located. I snapped my head back behind me, to check if anyone was following me. I didn't want anyone knowing. I have already accepted Jack will be furious with me, always fearing for my safety. I was about to step aboard the plan before I hesitated, placing my foot back on the floor. "Do you really want to do this?" I asked myself. I fought the urge to turn back around, and I stepped aboard anyways, starting the plane.

A few hours later...

I followed the tracker placed on Brayden, thankful they had not found it. I had been flying for hours, making twists and turns to follow where the tracker went. I had finally landed near a base, rather dark. It looked like an average building, almost like a cargo bay. But, the tracker said this was where he was, and I wasn't gonna go questioning the thing now. I guess it would make sense, be very discreet, pretty secretive.

Before I knew it I was climbing up onto the roof, finding a window to sneak into. I had the element of surprise on my side since I was by myself. I dropped down, my feet making the lightest of noises as the hollow metal creaked against my weight. I was lucky enough to have not come across any guards so far, but that only made my suspicions rise higher, making me more anxious. I had almost no clue where I was headed, going wherever my feet led me, my eyes darting around the dark base. I kept close to the wall in a tight corridor, peaking around each corner, and luckily enough, I found a room that was tightly guarded. "Both good and bad." I whispered, thinking rapidly. Since it was so tightly guarded, that could only mean one thing. "Brayden." I said, smiling at the thought of returning back to base with him. I shook the thought, focusing on the present, I was still in danger, and so was Brayden.

2 guards, 2 others patrolling around the room, checking the hallways surrounding it. I slowly inhaled, waiting for the right time to strike. Exhale. I blinked down the hallway, catching the slightly weary guards with their trousers down. Before either of them could've drawn their weapons I shot both of them, catching their bodies and placing them lightly on the floor, making sure they didn't make too much noise. I turned to the left, taking out the guard on that side, before doing the same to the other guard on the opposite side.

I sighed, wiping a bit of nervous sweat away from my forehead. I was still acutely aware of my surroundings, still paranoid of an ambush. I stood in front of the door, my hand on the knob, but I hesitated, freezing in place. Sudden doubt shrouded my thoughts, forcing me to stop. What if Brayden is already dead? What if more people are waiting for me to enter to kill me? What if I'm not even in the right place? A shiver ran down my spine, and I finally came to the harsh reality that one of these questions came to be correct. "Well, here goes nothin'." I said reluctantly, opening the door slowly, the room pitch black. I ran my hand along the side of the wall, fumbling for a light switch, before finally finding one and flicking it on, a lamp above a chair illuminated, showing the same Brayden I saw a few hours ago in the video.

His head snapped up, his instinct still intact clearly. He scanned the room, his one eye failing him, as he didn't notice me in the still dark room. "What now? I've done nothing wrong, and if you kill me there is no use in me dying anyways, so if you're here for that, piss off."

"What if I came here to rescue you?" I questioned sarcastically, smiling a bit.

His head turned quickly to my direction, his eye widening, as he made an attempt to stand up, as if he forgot he was tied down. "Lena... is that you? I'd recognize that overly British accent anywhere." He smirked, leaning his head my way.

I stepped out of the shadows, holding my hands up in a defeated manner. "Okay okay... ya got me mate."

"Lena! I knew it! Oh come on and untie me real quick so we can get out of here, I've been meaning to stand for ages. God that would be lovely."

I quickly knelt beside him, undoing the knots holding him in the chair. He wiggled his hands free, feeling his wrists. He smiled, about to say something before he paused, a frown appearing on his face. "Where is everyone else? Did they not come with you? What happened?" He asked, confusion finding its way into his eye.

I sighed, my head falling slightly. "They're okay, it's just I couldn't wait long enough to save you is all."

"Wait you came here by yourself?! Don't do that?! You could get hurt and it would be all my fault, I would never be able to live with myself. I..I.." he stammered, trying to find the words.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm saving you."

He nodded, and I backed up, turning to the door I entered in, motioning for him to follow. He took one step, before plummeting down to the floor, barely even catching himself to break the fall. I caught him mid fall, holding him in my arms, his blood soaking into my jacket. He stood himself up, using my shoulder as a balance for him to use, him leaning his weight into me. "Sorry love. I'm not in the best condition." He said apologetically.

"Don't worry love. I'm here." I said, placing his arm around my shoulder, letting him rest on me.

We made our way through the base, ducking behind random crates for cover, hiding ourselves from the guards. Brayden was in no condition to fight, and he needed me to even move properly without limping. We snuck by multiple of the guards, making our way back outside, getting close to our plane to escape. We had to go through the front door, leading us to be in more danger.

We crouched behind a crate, the plane only a football field length away, hidden in the darkness. There were 4 guards there, and one of us had to get to the plane to pick up the other person to escape successfully, leaving one of us to have to hold off the guards, since there will be more when they see one of us getting on the plane.

"I'll stay, you go and get to the plane and bring it back around so I can board. You're quicker than I am and I can still shoot." He explained, looking me right in the eyes. I was tempted to argue, but the look on his face told me not to. He was a rather stubborn person. "Okay, but stay safe, don't take any chances." I said, handing him my pistol. He cracked warm smile. "Aww come on, you know me. Safe is my middle name." He joked.

I blinked past the guards drawing their attention, and they promptly fired and called for back up. I kept running towards the plane, soon enough entering it, flipping on the switches and starting it up. I could hear gun fire and the sound of screams, all from the guards of course. I turned the plane towards the base, seeing multiple guards firing at Brayden's position. "Hold on love, I'm coming."

Brayden's POV

I fired at the guards advancing on my position, seeing the plane headed my way. I kept my head down, suppressing fire keeping me stationary. Once bullets stopped flying by my head I peeked out, shooting one of them in the chest, seeing him drop to the ground. I could hear the plane now, hearing the engine roaring near me, as I peeked out again, to see them focusing fire on the now rapidly approaching plane. I stepped out of cover, shooting all of them, all headshots. I fell back down, not able to keep my balance. "Whew I missed this. You see that one Mcree?" I said, feeling pretty proud of myself for that one. I stood back up, running as quickly as I could towards the plane. Lena had positioned it to where it was a straight sprint to the plane, the hatch left open for me to enter. I heard her yell. "Brayden! Catch and hold on!" She threw a rope, as it dangled on the ground. I quickly took a hold of it, as the plane took off, leaving the ground. I held on for dear life, feeling the air run through my legs, making me only tighten my grip on the rope. We rapidly elevated, making me feel more sick to my stomach from the height and fear. "Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down." I repeated to myself.

Lena reached down, her hand stretching towards me. "Take my hand!" She ordered. I gladly obeyed, grabbing her hand as she pulled me up into the plane. I finally rested, pulling Lena into a tight hug. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I said, not letting go of her, planning to stay in her warm embrace as long as possible. "Well in that video you had some, enlightening things to say." She responded. I blushed, scratching the back of my head. I laughed nervously; "Heh, oh yeah, the video... about that..." She raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer. "I... I..." I stuttered, as nervous as ever. God I wished they never received that video. She stepped forward, leaning in towards me.

Then of course with my shit luck the plane was struck by multiple bullets, rocking the inside, making us bump into each other. Lena cursed as she ran to the pilots seat. "Get on the turret, we have company!" She yelled back to me. I nodded, running to the turret on the side of it, opening the hatch so I could fire. There were two planes behind us, firing at us as Lena made evasive maneuvers, flipping around.

I opened fire on the following planes, landing multiple shots. "God damnit you ruined our moment! Eat bullets and die! Hahahaha!" I laughed maniacally as I unloaded a barrage of bullets. My cackling became more sinister as one of the planes burst into flames. "Bloody gorgeous shooting love! They didn't stand a chance! One more to go!" Lena yelled down to me. "Oh we should do this more often! I love it!"

I aimed down the sights of my turret, firing at the plane, as it ducked and weaved, dodging most of my bullets. "Aww you're a real pain in the ass now aren't ya?!" I said, not stopping my fire. I quickly snapped my head back, dodging the bullets they were firing back at me. I fired back at them, clipping the engines on its wings, and they sparked with bright flames. "Haha! She's coming down!" I said, celebrating. But my celebration was short lived as I noticed the plane flying towards us, about to ram us as it went down. My eyes widened in the realization. "Well...shit." I muttered, as the impact of the collision knocked me backward, making me lose my balance.

I heard Lena mutter something as she furiously pulled up, trying to level out our plane, trying to prevent it from crashing. The plane slowly but surely descended, heading for a harsh crash landing into some woods off the coast of a lake. "Lena get back!" I said, pulling her from the seat, just as soon as we crashed. I flew back, cracking my head against the cold hard metal, knocking me out cold.

Later...

"Ugh... my head..." I said, slowly regaining consciousness and analyzing my surroundings. I was covered in rubble and ash, as the plane clearly split apart during the crash. Giant pieces of the metal in the plane were scattered about the crash site, along with many trees that were taken down during our abrupt landing.

The smell of smoke was heavy in my nostrils, causing me to cough violently as I weakly stood up. My legs felt like jelly as I slowly stumbled my way through the wreckage. My heart suddenly stopped, the sight of light blue flickering caught my eye, and I turned my attention towards it. "Lena?!" My heart stopped. There she was, she was covered in rubble, multiple pieces of shrapnel lodged in her legs and right arm.

I knelt beside her, fear rising in my heart. "Lena! Lena wake up! Come on... don't leave me hanging here..." I shook her violently, trying to wake her. She mumbled something, moving her head slightly. She slowly started to realize what happened.

"Brayden... what... where are we?" She asked, quite concerned. I started ripping part of my shirt off to make a bandage, I needed to pull out the piece of shrapnel in her arm, or she'll bleed out. The smaller ones in her leg could wait. "Just keep talking... don't look..." I said, gripping the piece of it, readying myself to pull.

"Wait what? Ahhhh!" She groaned as I slid out the shrapnel quickly, preventing too much pain. "Shit." I muttered. There was a piece still lodged in her muscle in her forearm. I dug in, ignoring her screams of pain, no matter how hard they became. I finally dug it out, quickly throwing it away.

I spread out the piece of shirt I ripped off, before Lena's eyes caught my attention. She gripped my wrist, nodding, knowing full well this was going to be painful. I ripped a piece of the bandage off and gave it to her. "Here, bite on it. It's better that than you're tongue. I'm not Mercy but I'll bandage this as best I can. Sorry love, this is going to hurt."

I quickly grabbed her arm, wrapping it in the bandage, pushing against her resistance. I tightened the knot I made on it, poorly wrapping it, but it'll have to do. She had fainted due to the immense pain. I sighed, wiping off the blood on my hands. It started to rain, and I couldn't leave Lena out here in the cold, so I picked her up and took her under the biggest tree I could find, and set her down against the stump of it, the leaves above blocking the rain.

I grabbed her arm, turning on her communications device. "Hello... can anyone hear me?" I asked.

The familiar gruff voice of Jack replied; "Brayden? Is that you? How did you get on Lena's device?" He asked, growing concerned.

I sighed heavily, before answering his questions. "She saved me. We crash landed in some woods and she was injured. I bandaged what I could but she needs medical attention. Just follow the tracker to our position."

"Okay... we'll be there soon." He said, before I turned off the device.

A few hours later...

They had eventually found us and we were on the flight back. I refused to let Lena out of my sight, making sure she was okay. I tried to focus on the areas passing by as we flew back to base at high speeds, but couldn't help but worry. Lena would mumble a few words and drift in and out of consciousness, and then shift painfully. I eventually decided to sit with her, hoping to calm her down. I positioned myself to where she sat in my lap, my legs around her, and her head gently rested on my chest, her hair slightly tickling my chin. I made sure I carefully elevated her arm on my knee, making preventing blood from running through her arm and making her bleed more through the wound. "I... I need..." she mumbled, too weak to finish her sentence. "You need to be quiet Lena..." I said, trying to comfort her.

Her hand tightened around my forearm, her nails piercing my skin. "Brayden..." I snapped my head towards her, surprised at her sudden strength. "... I don't wanna die... it's so lonely in the dark... don't let me go..." she said, her eyes staring intently up at me. I looked down at her, pulling her in tighter.

"Don't worry... I've got you."

 **Well gee that was a doozy. I'm glad I've gotten past this chapter. I've rewritten this one so many times, I'm just glad it's over. The next one should be out soon, and with a much more lighthearted tone. Anyways, see ya next time!**


	18. Chapter 18

I wanted to make it clear that there will be no relationship between Lena and Brayden! I know some of you guys liked the idea but I never thought of their friendship to change and develop that way. I always figured Brayden would have a slight crush on her, but never actually do anything. I saw it as way too big of an age gap since Lena is 28 (now)and Brayden is 16. They shall remain friends as I originally planned when I first made the story. Thank you guys for the support and reviews and I'll talk to you all later!

I sat in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity as I waited for the surgery to be done. I knew by the end of it she would likely still be asleep, but I needed to calm my nerves a bit. I sat completely stationary, staring directly at the clock, hearing its "tick-tock" as the seconds roll by. I haven't even bothered to talk to anyone else since my return, and neither have I tried to heal my own wounds, no matter how much Angela wanted to help me.

I heard the door to my right open, Angela looking as tired and stressed as ever, but still managed to have a bright smile. "I would like you to know that the surgery is finished, and Lena will be fine. But she is still asleep and I urge you to allow that, she needs rest dearly."

I nodded, not bothering to really say anything, too many things were on my mind. She put a hand on my shoulder, and I tensed up as she touched a open wound by accident. She noticed this and ordered me to show the wound to her. But that required me to take off my shirt, which would showcase many others. Some of them were from the crash, but most from the torture I received during my capture. I reluctantly took it off and did as she commanded, ignoring my other wounds, and showing my shoulder, which had a rather large gash in it, still bleeding profusely due to me ignoring it completely, too worried about Lena's well being to do anything.

"You may need a surgery of you own for these wounds." She said analyzing them.

"No... I'm fine... really. Don't worry about lil' ol' me." I said, trying desperately to keep my mind off of the searing pain that ran through my entire body. My muscles ached, and it showed. I could barely stand up straight without wincing a bit.

"Quit being so stubborn, you need my help!" She said, grabbing my arm as I turned around to place my shirt back on.

"Look... I'll be fine in the morning... I just need rest." I said, shaking her off. I opened the door to leave, before a voice I had never heard come from Angela speak in a angered manner.

"You come back here right this instant!"

I turned around, facing her. As soon as I did she calmed down, returning to her normal self.

"At least let me clean the wounds and stitch them up properly." She said, her hand taking mine.

I looked down, sighing heavily. I finally conceded, letting her take me to her office for her to stitch me up. 'She is as stubborn as I am really.' I thought, following her.

I sat down in a chair beside her as she rummaged through a few cabinets before finding what she needed. "A-ha! There you are." She exclaimed, pulling out a clean towel and a bowl, before opening a bottle of water and pouring it into the bowl. She then grabbed the things she needed to give me stitches, placing them on the desk beside her. She took a seat in front of me, her blue eyes looking directly into my eye, sending a warm feeling of safety through me. The one time I've felt at ease this whole day.

She placed the towel in the water, soaking it up, before placing it on my bleeding shoulder. I winced, the cool water running through the open wound. I kept my head leveled and stared at the wall in front of me, trying to think of something else other than the pain I felt.

"Something on your mind Brayden?" She asked, dabbing the towel back into the water before going to work on the deep cut on my chest.

"Huh, oh nothing really, just thinking about Lena is all."

"She'll be okay Brayden. Trust me." She said, trying to assure me.

"I know it's just... all I think about is how I could've stopped it. I should've saved her in time. It's all my fault really, I was the one who got captured." I sighed, scratching at an unfamiliar itch near my missing eye.

"You can't keep blaming yourself you know. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders like this... it's a great burden, that can lead you down a dark and stressful life."

"Yeah, well my life is nothing but stress anyway. I mean, being the youngest of the agents has its downsides." I admitted, trying to be as open about my problems as I could.

"I know you feel stressed to do as good as we do in the field, but then again you are only 16. You have to remember that, even if all the scars make you feel older than you are. Now cheer up." She said, a smile appearing as she started to give me stitches.

I faked a smile, sarcastically saying: "Yay."

"Oh come on, where's the Christmas spirit? Where's the young boy who came to us a few years ago?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That kid is long gone by now. He died in the explosion." I said, silence taking the room as the topic had not been discussed due to raising bad memories, both for me and the rest of the agents.

"That doesn't mean I'm a complete ass though now does it?" I happily smiled, trying to lighten the mood I had just created with my previous statement.

"No. Well..." she trailed off, laughing a bit.

"Oh come on mom! I'm cool right? I mean the eyepatch is cool." I said pointing at it.

"I'm kidding, of course your not an ass. I remember the first day you wore the eyepatch, going on and on about being a pirate. I remember Ana having a stern talking to you about how having an eyepatch doesn't mean the person is a pirate."

We both shared a chuckle, reminiscing of the good old days. She eventually finished stitching up my rather deep wounds and patted me on the back, handing me my shirt before I left. "Don't get into too much trouble young man. You need rest." She said, eyeing my movements. I laughed. "You can trust me mom." I said, waving before leaving her office.

I walked slowly, a slight limp in my left leg. I felt as stiff as a board, and the stitches constricting my movements weren't helping either. "Psst... hey Brayden. Over here!" I turned, Lucio waving towards me, motioning for me to come join him in the cafeteria. I smiled, putting off my need for sleep for a later time. I sat across from him, groaning slightly as I sat down, my muscles aching.

"Hey Lucio! Why are you out here so late? Isn't it past your bedtime?" I joked.

"You're one to talk man! I never thought we would get another agent younger than Hana."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh so am I a part of the 'cool kids club' or something for being young?"

"I guess, though Mcree says otherwise. 'Experience is key'." Lucio said in a horrible southern accent to attempt an impersonation.

"Still didn't answer my question though." I raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Eh I was just out for a little midnight stroll around base. Might be heading down to Hana's to play some video games. You wanna join?" He asked.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna get some rest. Have fun though!" I waved him off, getting up to leave. He paused for a moment, turning back around to say something. "Oh yeah! Forgot to remind you about the anniversary of the creation of Overwatch."

"Oh cool... thanks man." I said, smiling, trying to hide my sudden nervousness. 'How come I didn't find out about this until now?' I questioned, figuring I would save that for tomorrow. I yawned, stretching my sore muscles.

I opened my door, closing it behind me, before flopping into bed, not bothering to shower yet. I just want to sleep and that's all. I'll figure this whole 'anniversary thing' out tomorrow morning. For the first time in a while, I slept without worrying about what new torture session I would have to endure the next day.

Tomorrow morning...

I awoke with a feeling of emptiness in the room, probably since I am the only one in the room, without Lena. I groaned as I sat up, a sharp pain shooting through my head, my attention shifting to my possible concussion since the crash. I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the pain in any way.

I decided maybe a good breakfast would take my mind off of it. The smell of pancakes coming from the cafeteria quickened my pace, as I only now realized how hungry I was. I walked in the cafeteria to see a sight I loved to see. The Overwatch family as I liked to call it. I took a seat beside Mcree, Jack, Reinhardt, Lucio, and Hana before loading my plate with as much as it could hold. I took a few pancakes, 3 strips of bacon and 2 scrambled eggs. "Mornin' guys!" I said brighter than usual.

"Okay where is the real Brayden and what did they do to you back at Talon?" Hana asked mockingly.

"I don't know maybe I'll go crazy and kill all of ya." I said jokingly. I notice Jack tense up. "Sarcasm Jack, sarcasm." I assured him I wouldn't kill anyone.

I felt Reinhardt's gigantic hand slam into my back, as his laughter echoed through the room. I let out a slight "oof" and shifted back out of range of his powerful arms. He was a kind man, but his pats on the back felt more like heavy cars slamming into your back than anything else. Mcree chuckled at the shifts I made.

"So what did I miss while being held captive?" I asked, looking around the table.

"Well for one we have been planning a celebration after we successfully saved you, but Lena did the first part for us." Jack said. "And we figured since tomorrow is the anniversary, we would have one big get together and celebrate years of success."

"And you've got a special surprise in store." Mcree added. I frowned.

"You know I hate surprises."

"Yeah but it's a tradition around here that the youngest agent has to do something special." He said.

"Oh thank god! I was waiting for a new person for this! I'm so tired of being the person who has to do the dumb stuff. Now it's your turn!" Hana said, excitement showing clearly in every statement.

"What if I say no?" I asked.

"Can't." Lucio simply said.

"Well what do I have to do?" I asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow." Reinhardt added.

I sighed. Great, another thing to worry about. Whatever the hell they are planning better be easy and painless.

"Aww cheer up kid. It's not that bad. Look on the brightside, your younger than all of us and have a lot left to look forward to in your life." Jack smiled.

"Yeah. Like more embarrassing moments to experience in the future!" Mcree mocked, looking mighty smug right about now. "Ya know what? Next time someone asks me to hear up their food, the answer is no." I said, crossing my arms.

"And that was the end of the human microwave." Lucio joked, laughter escaping the mouths of everyone but me. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Angela. I quickly waved to her, asking her to sit with us. She smiled dimly and made her way to us. She took her seat to the left of me. "Hey Angela! What's up?" I asked.

"Oh nothing. The usual. Taking care of the injured and experimenting." She said bored. "Which reminds me why I came here. I'm going to get breakfast for Lena and give it to her. She should be awake by now." She started to stand up. I stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Woah woah... where do you think you're going? I got this. You get food." I said, before grabbing a bottle of water and some fruits, figuring she wouldn't eat much right about now. "Thank you." She said, smiling at me.

"No problem."

I lightly hummed as I made my way to the medical bay, opening the door lightly, closing it with my foot. "Good morning love!" I said, setting the tray beside her.

"Right back atcha'!" She said, as happy as can be.

I took a seat next to her, smiling brightly. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?" I asked. "Other than a awful headache and being slightly sore, I feel fine. How about you?" She returned the question.

I shrugged lightly, shaking my head. "I don't entirely know. I was worried about you though. I want you to know I'm grateful for you saving me. It means a lot to me. I just wish you didn't get hurt. I'm sorry." I said, lowering my head. Her finger and thumb gripped my chin lightly, pushing it upward. "Chin up luv. I did it for you... you would've done the same in my position." She said.

"I know. I'm also a little worried about what I've got in store for me tomorrow during the whole 'anniversary thing'. I swear if I have to do something embarrassing..." I chuckled.

"Don't worry love. It's not that bad. Besides, they'll take it a little easy on ya this time because you've had such a rough week. I can't wait to see it!" She exclaimed.

"I hope so. Anyway, when are you supposed to get out of here?" I asked.

"Well Angela said I could leave today, and she never specified when exactly I should leave today so..." She smirked.

"Are you sure? I don't want you hurting yourself more." I said, worrying slightly. She started to sit up. I helped her up, giving her a shoulder to lean on. "I'm fine really. Don't worry about lil' ol' me." I smiled. "Ya know, I said the exact same thing to Angela yesterday. Then she of course didn't listen and gave me multiple stitches." I joked.

"You planning on giving me stitches?" She laughed.

"Nah, I think I'll let you go free for now."

Tomorrow evening...

"Do I really have to wear this to the celebration?" I asked Lena annoyed, still getting ready behind the closed door of the bathroom. "Yes! It's tradition. The youngest always dresses up in the nicest clothing since they will have a lot of eyes on them when they do whatever they are told. Hana wore a dress, so now you wear a tuxedo."

I sighed, loosening the tight bow tie around my neck. "Well we have stupid traditions." I muttered. I was in a horribly tight fitting white suit, white pants, white undershirt and a black bow tie. God I hate dressing up. It's so uncomfortable, it's so... not me I guess. I looked in the mirror, feeling as awkward as ever. "I feel horribly overdressed. Can't I just wear what everyone else is wearing?" I pleaded once again. It of course wouldn't work, but I asked anyways.

"No! Now come out here so I can see you." She said. "Fine." I opened the door, grumpily walking out. "Aww you look so handsome. I need a photo." She whipped out a camera, the flash annoying me even further. "Aww, look at you. So dashing and grumpy. Like the normal you." She joked. I opened the door to leave, ignoring her. 'This is gonna be either the worst or best night of my life.' I thought. 'Let's hope it's the latter.'

As soon as I entered I figured out I hoped wrong. Everyone stared for a moment, processing me actually wearing something nice. "Ooh is just me or did it get hot in here?" Mcree joked. Everyone laughed. And I mean everyone. Their laughter irritating me to no end. I felt a bit of a fire start in my hands. I turned around, ready to leave right there and then, before Lena placed a hand on my chest, stopping me in my tracks. "Please stay? For me?" She pleaded. I sighed, grabbing her hand and pulling it off of me. "Fine, but you owe me one." I whispered, but it got its point across. "Okay. Now have fun, and don't be such a grouch, it'll be great." She said, smiling at me. I turned around, faking my own smile back to the laughing crowd.

I sat down next to Genji and Angela, before patting Mcree on the back as hard as I could without making it obvious I wanted to kill him then and there. "Good one." I smiled.

"You have to admit, it was funny." Genji added.

"We're just not used to seeing you actually dress nice for a change." Angela said. I frowned. "Saying I don't always look good?" I asked.

"If I'm being honest, not really. I mean, a pink shirt with a bunny on it and blue shorts? Come on!" Lucio laughed.

"Hey! That was stylish as hell and you know it! You're just jealous!" I defended myself. Jack walked up, grabbing my shoulder. "Yes. We're all jealous kid." He said sarcastically. "Anyways, time for dinner. Everyone take a seat." Jack said proudly as ever. Everyone did as he said, finding their seats next to their closest friends. Lena promptly took a seat next to me, along with Angela, Genji, Hana, Lucio, Jack, and Reinhardt. With Jack at the head of the table, he stood up for a speech. I sat there, jealous of everyone who could wear normal clothes.

"We all gather here today to celebrate Overwatch. Our success, our memories, our friendships made, to commemorate our fallen heroes, and to hope for new legends to fill their shoes. I, as leader of Overwatch, couldn't be more proud of each and everyone of you. It has been an honor to fight along side you all. We've went from a ragtag group of heroes to a family, and I'm happy to be here with all of you. And for that, I give a toast, to Overwatch, and our fine looking gentlemen Brayden over there." Everyone chuckled as they raised there glasses, saying "cheers" at the same time before clanging them all together with as many people as they could.

As everyone raised their glasses, drinking the wine in them, me and Hana awkwardly sat and sipped at the Mountain Dew in ours that she so kindly allowed me to have. "Cheers mate." I said, before chugging the entire drink. "Cheers." She responded. I fiddled with the bow tie around my neck, and then unbuttoning one button on my shirt, allowing me to breathe. The dinner seemed to go like a normal day, as we all conversed and chatted while eating. I simply played with fire (literally) as a blaze erupted from my hand. I gazed into the flames, seeing it illuminating the dark shadows on the walls.

I distracted myself from the jokes that everyone cracked about my attire by imagining the things I could be doing. Time seemed to fly whenever I did that. By the time I snapped back to reality most of the agents were a bit tipsy, their sentences slurred. Genji leaned over to me. "Do they always have to get drunk?" He asked. I chuckled to myself, shrugging. "I really don't question it anymore." I said. He laughed at my response. Me and him laughed together as we watched all of the scenes unfold, Reinhardt laughing at a joke a drunk Mcree made, Winston accidentally dropping his glasses into his wine, Torbjorn and Symettra arguing over who's turret is better, all while Mei was busy freezing everyone's drinks when they weren't looking.

Everyone's attention was then snapped to Jack who stood up, that alone enough to make them all quiet down. He clapped his hands together. "Alright. Time for the main event of the day, for the main of the hour, Brayden, to do the activity of our choice. I assume we have all come to an agreement after the voting earlier today?" Everyone cheered, banging on the table and chanting random sayings.

"Then its settled! He shall amuse us with singing songs and dancing to tunes. After all, Lena told us all about his singing skills earlier. He shall not object. Correct?" He looked over to me, along with everyone else looking at me. They soon started to chant my name, making as much noise as I could handle. I stood up from my seat, holding a hand in the air, signaling for them to stop. "I... accept my task." I finally said. They all broke out into insane cheering. "Lucio, hand me your gun!" I said. He complied, tossing it towards me. I searched up the song of my choice to play on it, before selecting it.

(Now I'm gonna take a moment to tell you right now, as the author of the story, that if you have not listened to "Hooked on a Feeling", stop reading, then listen to the song, and then come back. Seriously, do it. It is the right way to experience this whole part of the chapter.)

"Microphone please!" I said. Lena tossed one my way, and I caught with my left hand. "Thank you. Now, the song is old, but I figure, who doesn't like the classics?"

I started it, and immediately some of them recognized the song, laughing at my choice of music.

 _I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me_

 _Girl ya just don't realize, whatcha do to me_

 _When you hold me in your arms so tight_

 _Ya let me know everything's alright_

 _Ahaha I'm hooked on a feeling_

 _And I'm high on believing_

 _That you're in love with me_

I looked at them all, smiles plastered on their faces as they watched with joy as I sang for their entertainment. Lena started to sing along with me lightly, and the rest started clapping to the beat. I started to walk towards them, before hopping on the table, continuing with the song. They all laughed as I lightly danced and shuffled to the beat.

 _Lips as sweet as candy_

 _Its tastes is on my mind_

 _Girl ya got me thirsty_

 _For another cup of wine_

 _I got it bad for you girl_

 _But I don't need no cure_

 _I'll just stay addicted_

 _If I can endure_

 _All the good love_

 _When we're all alone_

 _Keep it up girl_

 _Yeah ya turn me on_

Lena jumped up on the table with me, singing and dancing along with, all while giggling up a storm. I looked down at Mcree, motioning for him to join. "Ah to hell with it." He said, joining us on the table. We all sang the chorus together, some of the other agents clapping and dancing to the music.

 _Ahaha I'm hooked on a feeling_

 _I'm high on believing_

 _That you're in love with me_

 _All the good love_

 _When we're all alone_

 _Keep it up girl_

 _Yeah ha turn me on_

 _Ahaha I'm hooked on a feeling_

 _And I'm high on believing_

 _That you're in love with me_

 _I said I'm hooked on a feeling_

 _And I'm high on believing_

 _That you're in love with me_

The song ended, as everyone erupted into applause and cheered for me, everyone laughing uncontrollably, but I laughed along with them, enjoying myself. I guess being the youngest wasn't so bad this year. Lena hugged me, happier than I had seen her in a while. "That was amazing luv! You've got to do this more often!" She smiled, before we all sat back down, all of us chatting about the whole thing. "Alright that is one for the history books of Overwatch!" Hana exclaimed, still laughing about the whole ordeal. "We've gotta call you the singer from now on!" Genji laughed. "Encore encore!" Reinhardt yelled. Soon everyone followed his lead, demanding another song. " I can't tell if it's because you're all drunk or that you actually enjoyed it. But since you insist..." I said, choosing another song, as they all poured more glasses of wine to enjoy. I smiled, happy I stayed. I turned back to Lena, mouthing the words: "thank you" before continuing. She nodded, cheering for me. 'Well, guess this is going to be one of the best nights of my life.'

 **Well this was so fun to write. I hope it was as fun to read! I told you guys this would be much more lighthearted than normal. I figured Brayden could use some good time off to enjoy himself. Thank you all for reading my story, new chapter out next week! Bye!**


	19. Chapter 19

I woke up in my bed, Lena beside me, resting her head peacefully on my chest as always. I sighed, a smile coming to my lips as I combed her hair back with my fingers. She like everyone else is probably gonna sleep until noon, hangover getting the best of them. I slowly lifted her head, placing it back on a pillow beside her. "Just five more minutes..." she muttered. I sat up, setting my feet on the ground before rubbing my eyes, trying to wake up fully. I arose from the bed and made my way to the kitchen, deciding on making tea for Lena when she awoke, which will be soon when she hears the kettle.

I smiled, remembering how she liked her tea. I hummed a light tune as I grabbed the cup of tea and walked back over to Lena, still sleeping. I placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking it lightly. "Hey, wake up sleepyhead." I whispered. She groaned as she awoke, rubbing her temples and complaining. "Remind me never to touch alcohol again." She whined. "You said that last time." I chuckled.

I placed the tea on the nightstand beside the bed, patting her hair before leaving her to her tea. I lightly shut the door behind me as I walked through the hallways, hearing the sounds of light snoring coming from the rooms of the agents. I was usually one of the first ones to wake up, being a morning person as always. I made my way to the cafeteria, finding an unusual sight. Hana Song up at this hour. "Good morning Brayden." She said, not looking up from the game on her phone. "What are you doing up at this hour, shouldn't you be playing games and 'owning noobs' as you say?" I questioned. "76 keeps getting on my case about waking up earlier so... here I am." She answered. "Oh. Well he is gonna be quite the hypocrite if he stays in his bed as late as I think he'll be in there." I chuckled, taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah, it's probably gonna be me and you up and moving for most of the day." She responded. I leaned over, eyeing what she was playing. "Are you playing... Tetris!?" I laughed. "What's wrong with the classics?" She asked. "You know Reinhardt would love to hear you say that." I joked.

"I know, he is always trying to make me listen to old music and Hasselhoff and stuff."

"Hey man, it's not too bad if I say so myself." I smiled, patting her on the back. I started to stand up, getting ready to leave, before I felt her hand grip my forearm. "Where are you going?" She asked, looking up at me.

I sighed. "Well I was gonna head down to my hometown, take a walk around the neighborhood, see how it's been doing. You wanna come?" I asked.

She paused for a moment, contemplating her decision to make. She then smiled, standing up beside me. "Sure." She answered. I stopped her, placing a hand on her chest. "You're gonna need a jacket, it gets pretty cold back in Brooklyn, and I'm pretty sure it's snowing."

"Oh okay, I'll get a coat and meet you at the hangar and we can leave." She exclaimed, running back to her room. 'Gee she is excited about coming with. Maybe she's just never been to New York?' I thought. I shrugged, before heading down to the hangar.

I leaned against the plane, folding my arms and smiling wide. She eventually showed up, wearing a heavy pink snow coat and a light blue scarf, with a light pink beanie with a bunny on it. She raised an eyebrow curiously. "Is that all you're wearing? Sure you won't get cold?" She looked up and down at my t-shirt and jeans. I simply reminded her of my powers with a simple motion of the hand. She nodded. "Oh yeah, forgot the whole fire thing." She laughed. We boarded the plane, taking a nice and short flight back to New York.

We landed near the school I used to go to. I reminisced of the day that brought me here. The hatch opened, a cool breeze blowing by. I smiled, breathing in the cold air, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. Hana walked out, her wide eyes staring at the tall buildings in the distance. "Wow... it's so... beautiful." She said. "I guess ya could say that." I smiled, a huge sense of nostalgia rushing through me as I looked at the school I used to go to, the light sound of snow crunching under my feet, even the smell of the air. I simply felt at ease here.

I was snapped out of my feeling of wonder by Hana taking a hold of my hand, pulling me along with her as she ran through the busy streets, asking about every single thing we came across. It made me feel like her mother as she wildly pulled me through crowds, pointing at the skyscrapers and the lights of the buildings. She then started to shiver as she got cold. I smirked, an idea running through my mind. I made a weak and light fire in my hands, as she jumped at the sudden warmth. She turned to me, smiling warmly, to which I returned the same smile. "You seemed cold, so I thought I'd warm you up a bit." I said, watching as the snow that would get near me melt. She blushed lightly at the gesture, before continuing her path through the city.

We walked together hand in hand through the streets, our clothes just discreet enough to stay incognito and not be recognized. We pushed our way through a crowd into the center of Times Square, the lights enlightening us and the people going by. "I always wanted to go here, just see what it's like. I've always seen it on TV and wondered what it would be like to be here with someone, to just share and relish the moment." I said, stopping in my tracks to take in the view. I felt Hana's eyes drift to me, and I met them with my own gaze. "I didn't know you could be so sentimental Brayden." She said. I sighed, shrugging lightly. "There's just so much to experience in life, so much to do. We are only given one life, it's best to cherish in it, and we need to love every moment we are given. Make the best of it. I'm glad I brought you with me to experience something so big." I smiled, turning my body to her. "Me too." She responded.

She once again pulled me down the street, both of us giggling as we ran through the city, joking and talking about the things we came across. I kept up with her, not trying to slow her down, before something caught my eye. I paused, standing in place as I took a second look. Hana noticed this and stopped, looking in the same direction I was looking into. "What are you looking at?" She asked confused. I simply kept staring into the window of the bar I stopped in front of. She started to shake me, becoming worried. "It's... its.. i..." I stuttered, not able to believe what I was seeing. That short brown hair like mine, those brown, sunken eyes, his posture. I know this man. "What is it?" She asked.

"Dad..."

"What?! Where?!" She yelled. I pointed, my mouth open in complete shock. All these emotions, hate, pity, sadness, fury, happiness, all combining into one single emotion. She gripped my hand even harder, placing a hand on my cheek and forcing me to look at her. "Look, I know how you feel about your dad, but... you can't let him see you... it'll compromise your safety." She said, concerned about what I'm going to do next.

"I don't care about my safety! I have to talk to him. He is my father. I'm going." I answered.

She pulled me back again. "I know, just... don't do anything you'll regret later." She said. I nodded, walking in the bar, her following behind me. I stepped up to the man, and he looked up from his drink. "What? Who..." His eyes widened in realization that it was me, his own "dead" son looking right at him. He stood up and took a step towards me. I opened my arms, allowing him to fall into them in a tearful reunion of father and son. His tears soaked my shirt, and I held a hand on his head, stroking it gently. "Dad..." I whispered. "H..ho-how could you ever forgive me for what I've done to you?" He sobbed. I pulled him off, looking into his eyes. I simply smiled, words not able to express how I felt. "I forgive you father." I stated blankly. He wiped his tears away, straightening his self up, looking me in the eye. I placed an arm around his shoulder, bringing him outside of the bar. "Come on, you've got a lot to learn." I said. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come back to me?" He asked quickly.

I sighed. "I was shot during the school shooting by Talon forces, a terrorist organization after me for my special powers." He frowned, confused. I started a fire in my hands, to which he jumped back in fear. I smiled at him, before stopping the blaze in my hands. "Who is this? Your girlfriend?" He pointed towards Hana. She blushed at his assumption. I chuckled at his question. "Uh.. no, she is my friend. From Overwatch, the organization that saved me from certain death that day, and I joined them, scared to come back to you." I said. He lowered his head, sighing. "Look, I know you're sorry for what you did, but you can't take it back. Just move on." I said. He nodded slowly and looked back up. "I assume you're wondering about my missing eye. I lost it in my first mission against Talon, but I was given an eyepatch and it healed. Anymore questions?" I asked.

"What was it like, being a part of Overwatch?" He asked curiously. I laughed. "Well, it's pretty fun. It's like becoming a part of a big happy family. I became friends with many of them and love all of them." He sighed, shaking his head, clearly flustered. I turned to Hana, who looked concerned. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, and you're just now even accepting that your son is alive, but trust me, he is truly happy with us, and has accepted his past and moved on. He has forgiven you, now you must forgive yourself." Hana said, stepping forward.

"I know, it's just... I've been so sad since you left me, and I've always regretted what I did, and to just find out it's all for nothing... it just..." He said, saddened by his past mistakes.

I pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close to me. I broke from the embrace and looked him in the eye. "Look, I'll stay here for a few days, and we can catch up on all the father and son activities we missed out on over the years." I smiled warmly at him, patting him on the shoulder. I turned to Hana. "Tell everyone I'll be gone a few days with my father, just send a plane to the location we landed at today when you get back to base." Hana unexpectedly pulled me into a tight and loving hug. "Stay safe. I'll see you when you get back." She smiled. I smiled back, before breaking from the embrace and turned back to my father.

Hana's POV

I flew back to base, a smile plastered on my face. It was good to be with Brayden. I keep finding myself liking him more and more nowadays. He has so many secret qualities about him underneath his bright and bubbly personality. He is kind, caring, funny, a good singer, smart, brave, even handsome in a weird sort of way. I shook the thoughts off, thinking about how the day went better than expected. It went from a dull morning to reuniting a son and a father for a few days. I'm happy for Brayden, he seemed quite happy with what happened.

I arrived at base, walking back through the still empty hallways. 'They are still laying in bed?!' I thought. 'It's 2:00 pm! Lecture me about getting up early will ya Jack?!' I thought. I smiled though, the fact reminding me of a certain someone who sang a song making us all cheer and laugh together. It was fun to talk with him since he was one of the only ones who wasn't piss drunk within the hour. I lightly giggled at the memory of him dancing on the top of tables and singing songs the whole time.

I slumped into my bed, bored once again today. I sighed, placing my head in my hands. "Guess I'll play some games..." I said to myself.

A few hours later...

We all gathered for a daily dinners together, all of us taking our seats. Everyone seemed to have headaches except for Genji who didn't drink much, and Zenyatta and Bastion who couldn't drink. We all sat in our normal seats, all of them filled except for one, which belonged to Brayden. Most people weren't eating too much due to their hangovers, all of them seeming tired and slightly annoyed. "Does anyone know where Brayden is?" Genji asked, looking around the table. Everyone shrugged or muttered no. "He's back in New York, we went for a walk and he ran into a certain someone." I smiled. "Oh who'd he meet?!" Lena asked. I paused for a moment, before starting to answer the question.

"Alright, prepare yourselves, it's a doozy." I said, all of them becoming intrigued. "Yeah?" Mcree said, curiosity getting the best of him. "Oh come on the suspense is killing me!" Reinhardt yelled. "He met... his father." I said.

Everyone gasped, shocked he ever met the man again. "Wait really? What did he do?" Angela asked. "He forgave him, and was actually quite nice to him." I explained. "Wait really? That's crazy!" Lucio exclaimed. "I know right?" I responded.

"Wait... you know there is a rule about your family knowing your alive now ever since we first disbanded?" Jack said.

"Yeah, I know... but he needed to see him. And it's not like his father will tell everyone in the world." I defended myself. "I think it is good for him, it will only bring happiness to him." Hanzo said.

"Yeah... I guess I'll let it slide." Jack said, sliding back into his seat.

"Thanks guys, I feel like he really needs this. You should've seen his face when he had to explain what happened to him." I joked. Everyone laughed as they imagined the situation.

"Wait a minute... why were you there with him?" Lena asked. "I figured he could use a little company on his expedition. And I've never been to New York before so..."

"Oh, I see..." Lena joked, raising an eyebrow. I blushed, shaking my head quickly. "No! It's not like that! I swear!" I yelled, trying to hide my embarrassment. Angela chuckled. "I could see it happening." She said, turning to Lena. "No please! Stop!" I begged them.

Reinhardt laughed full heartedly, banging on the table. I fully slunk into my seat, hiding my face. "Awww, we're just teasin' ya luv." Lena said in between fits of laughter. I sighed, standing up and leaving.

A few days later...

We all sat in the cafeteria, talking and joking with each other as always, making our own breakfast. Reinhardt's laughs filled the room as always, echoing throughout the base. I sat down with Lena, Mei, Mcree, and Angela. We all spoke briefly on our plans for the day. It was quite the normal day, no big or interesting things going on for any of us. Lucio suddenly came charging in, interrupting our conversations. He had a smile on his face as always. "Hey guys! Brayden should be back soon. I was gonna go greet him and see how it went, anyone coming?" All of us stood up, following him back to the hangar.

We all sat and waited for the plane to land, discussing what we think he did with his father. The hangar eventually opened, the plane I sent back to where we landed in New York landing in front of us. The hatch opened, and Brayden stepped out. We all yelled our greetings as we saw him exit the plane. We all stopped as he looked up, tears in his eye. He was crying. Me and Lena ran up to him. "What happened luv?" She asked. He dropped to his knees, the tears rolling down his face. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"My father... he... he... died. His liver problems from his alcoholism and his unhealthy lifestyle finally caught up with him. He died in his sleep last night. I... I... buried my own father today. I buried my own father!" He yelled, anger rising in his voice.

"I'm sorry about what happened. But you couldn't do anything. It's not your fault." I said, trying to calm him down.

"Why does everyone I love have to be taken from me?! What did I do to deserve this fate?! Everyone I ever love dies in front of me?! The only reason I even exist was because my own mother gave her life during my birth!" He punched the plane, denting the side of it. The fires in his hand rose, his hair turning ashy grey, his skin turning a dark red. "Who is next?! Lena?! Angela?! Jack?! You?!" He yelled, pointing right at me. I did the only thing I could think of. I hugged him, tightly, stroking the back of his head, gently rocking him. His heavy and sharp breathing slowed down to its normal state, as the fire in his hands extinguished as he calmed down. Everyone watched in silence as he mourned the loss of his father, his sobs echoing throughout the hangar.

"I promise you... we're not leaving you..."


	20. Chapter 20

One week later...

I sat on the bed beside Lena, sleep becoming a distant memory as my father haunted my once pleasant dreams. I sobbed, quietly, but I sobbed all the same. I didn't want to wake Lena with my crying, I felt I needed to be strong, vigilant and proud at this moment, not bawling like a toddler. After all I made amends with my father before he left this world, and he died in his sleep, not a bit of pain felt. And at least he died happy and peacefully, something I'll probably never be granted in my life. I wiped my tears away, staring back into the dark in front of me.

I felt a slight shift as Lena placed her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Are you okay?" She softly whispered to me. I sat in silence, memory betraying my want to be happy. The memory of burying my own father will stay with me forever. I nodded, lying about my state of mind, wishing I take every bad thing I'd said about my father back, but it was much too late, unable to be changed for the better.

"You know it's okay to cry. I understand." She assured me. But I didn't need assurances, I needed a time machine to go back and correct all of my mistakes, to fix my problems and mend my broken heart. "I really doubt you do. I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep love." I said, trying to fight the tears about to burst out of me. "Quit acting like you're fine! Just let me try to help you." She said.

"What would you do? Bring my father back from the dead and fix all of my problems? There is absolutely nothing you can do to help me. I don't wanna talk about what happened, the wounds are still fresh, and I need to do this myself."

She sighed as I stood up, preparing to leave and take a walk, try and sort out my feelings and thoughts. I opened the door, turning back to wish Lena goodnight before exiting, shutting the door behind me, leaving me to myself. I placed my hands in my pockets, fighting the urge to kill something, my anger on the brink of full control of my actions. I needed to vent somehow, or else I may burst into flames at the wrong moment, possibly killing those I loved, the ones I had left in my life. I decided on a trip to the training facility wouldn't be too bad, allowing me to break something.

I walked slowly towards the training facility, my steps echoing through my head as my hand burned with the rage of a thousand suns. I decided on the most satisfying option due to its realism, and picked a simulation that would make certain situations and provide holograms as enemies, along with different terrain and sounds only the person in it could experience.

I watched as Talon agents appeared in front of me, giving me a chance to let out my anger successfully. I stopped holding back, my rage shrouding all thoughts and actions. Flames crackled around me, the blast radius of my rage a few feet wide. I yelled, charging head first into them, not bothering to think of a plan or strategy. I grabbed the first man I saw, burning him to a crisp and slamming him into the ground, leaving a small crater in the ground. The next man suffering a similar fate. The men that surrounded me started dropping like flies, their burned and mangled bodies crumpling to the ground around me. Their guns did nothing but add to my rage, further engulfing me in a fiery inferno that scorched anything near me. I've never felt this powerful before, each movement I made leaving a blaze of fire and smoke behind it.

The simulation ended, the fake world around me disappearing as I heavily inhaled an exhaled, the fire around me dying out as I grew faint for the moment, a little light headed. I wiped the sweat of my brow, the anger deep inside my heart still present, driving my need for destruction even further. But it would have to wait for tomorrow, the only way for me to really experience the rush of action was to get a mission, which I will hopefully be given tomorrow. I headed back to my room, sleep on my mind for once, praying I won't be met with horrible memories.

The next day...

I awoke with a start, my heart pumping quickly, my hands slightly ablaze as my rage still took its toll even in my sleep. I looked to my right, seeing Lena sleeping peacefully. I had woken up early once again. I quietly snuck out of bed, slipping away, making my way out of the room. I slowly shut the door behind me and made my way down to the cafeteria, hoping to bump into someone to talk with to take my mind off of things.

I entered the room, only to find it completely abandoned, not a soul to be found. I shrugged, taking a seat by myself and waiting, the dreadful silence allowing me to think too much, bringing unwanted and unpleasant thoughts. I became agitated as my uncontrollable emotions ran rampant, back a forth through my mind like a boulder rolling down hill.

Eventually my feeling of uneasiness faded as Hana stepped in the room, her gaze turning towards me. She smiled weakly, which I returned back to her, the look in my eye betraying my happy looking smile. My sadness always seemed to be apparent, even when I tried my best to hide it. She took a seat next to me, resting her elbows on the table as she kept eye contact with me. The anger in me died down as I looked at someone I held so dearly in my heart. "Hey." I barely muttered.

"Hi." She responded. The awkward situation was obvious, not really knowing what to say to the other.

"So how are you?" I broke the silence, steadying my gaze towards her. "I should be asking you that. I'm sorry about what happened." She said, her usually happy face saddening. She placed a hand on my shoulder, patting me lightly. "There is nothing you can do. It's just something that happened, I need to move on. He died happy, and I know that if he was still alive, he'd be just as happy now." I smiled bleakly, hope slightly shining through my words, giving them a false sense of happiness.

She sat in silence as she studied me closely, eyeing my movements and what I said. I ran my fingers through my hair nervously as she turned to me. I fought back the sudden feelings of nervousness around her, forcing myself to speak. "So... ya wanna go out for a walk or something? I was gonna take a walk to think but, I enjoy your company and figured we could hang out. I'm pretty sure I won't bump into any family members this time..." I chuckled nervously. She smiled, giggling at my failed attempt to ask her out. "I dunno, maybe we could go to a carnival. I hear they have fantastic carnivals at this time of year. Or we could..." I trailed off, stuttering slightly, scratching the back of my neck, which had become a habit when I'm nervous.

"Yeah... I'd love to. You wanna meet up later today, maybe 2:00 o'clock, we could head down and take a walk around town, see if there's anything cool." She said, smiling wide as she stood up. "I guess it's a date." She said, before starting to walk off. "Indeed..." I muttered. 'Indeed?! Really?! Who even says that?!' I thought to myself. I watched as she walked off, leaving the room, leaving only me and my thoughts. I made sure I was by myself, looking around the room, before jumping up in the air, fist bumping. "Woooo! Hell yeah! I did it! I got a date!" I celebrated, dancing around the cafeteria. "Oh yeah, that's right!" My dances became more complicated as I strutted around the room. "What the hell is all the ruckus?" Jack said as he walked in, Lena, Angela and Reinhardt following close behind. I straightened up, saluting him. "N-nothing, sir!" I said. He chuckled, before sitting down. "At ease kid!" He yelled back. I immediately left, not wanting to be seen as I celebrated even further.

A few hours later...

I'd been staring into a mirror for the past 40 minutes, each time changing my mind about how I should look. My hair was slicked back more than usual. I looked nicer than usual, but not too dressed up. I wore a simple blue shirt, with nice jeans and a slick leather jacket, and a blue scarf, matching my shirt. I looked into the mirror, calming myself down and gaining my composure. "Just be yourself. Easy." I said to myself. 'What and be a total ass like always?' I thought. "No." I answered my own thought, sounding more insane than usual.

I walked out, Lena eyeing my choice of clothing and stopping me. "Oooh, you look fancy. Got a date?" She joked. "Uh... yeah I guess." I answered.

She almost choked, not expecting that answer. "I was gonna head out with Hana for a little while, maybe go to a carnival or something..." I said, shrugging as I walked by her. "Really? Oh you've got to tell me everything when you get back." She said, jumping up and down in excitement. I chuckled. "Calm down, you're more excited than me." I said, walking out the door.

"Good luck!" She yelled as I closed the door. 'Thanks, I'll need it.' I thought to myself. 'I hope you know what you're doing.' I thought to myself again. 'Are you kidding? I'm great with women!' I answered back. 'Right...' I responded.

I knocked on her door, biting my lip lightly. 'Alright. Don't mess it up.' I thought. "Coming!" She yelled from behind the door. I listened intently, hearing footsteps rapidly approaching the door. The door swung open, revealing a rather splendid sight. Hana wore a light pink blouse, a dark blue trench coat over it, and a blue scarf. My jaw dropped, as I looked in awe, finally realizing this was who I was going on a date with. "Oh. My. God..." I trailed off, staring at her, a smile forming on my lips. She giggled lightly, blushing at my reaction. I snapped out of the trance I was in, her giggle making my heart flutter. I quickly came to my senses, straightening myself out as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Well. Don't just stand there, let's go." She said, laughing as she walked over to me. "Huh... yeah uh... right this way..." I said, placing a hand out, which she gladly took a hold of. "Aww, you're so cute when you get flustered." She giggled again as we walked to the hangar to head down to New York again.

I flew us down to my home state, enjoying small talk and a few jokes as I piloted the plane, smiling wide as we flew overhead, landing down near the carnival in the middle of the bright city. We both stepped out, the snowflakes landing softly on our heads, finding their way into our hair. "Aww, you really did take me to a carnival? I always wanted to head down to one, just never got the chance." She said, looking at the tall rides and amusing games as they lit up the city. "Yeah, I figured we could use a good break, just kick back and ride some roller coasters." I smiled, taking her hand and leading her through the crowd. "Come on, we gotta get in before it gets too crowded." I said, as we pushed and squeezed through. I gave the man the tickets I may or may not have stolen when with my father last week, allowing us to pass.

We both giggled together, as she pointed and led me to all the things we could do. We did everything she wanted, always finding something fun to do. She led me to a roller coaster, the tallest and fastest one we could find. "Come on. We've gotta do this one!" She exclaimed, making her way in the line outside. "I don't know, looks pretty scary." I worried, looking up at its twists and turns. "What are you chicken?" She taunted me, making multiple chicken noises. I eventually gave in, and we got on the ride.

It slowly escalated up to its peak, before stopping just before the drop, allowing me to look down. I looked to my right, to see Hana devilishly smiling and giggling at my reaction. 'Well, shit.' I thought, before it dropped, feeling the wind hit my face, running through my hair, making me feel as if I was flying as we twirled and turned. By the second turn I was actually having fun, reaching out for the sky as I laughed, turning to see a just as happy Hana smiling back.

The ride came to a stop, my heart pounding as I stepped off, hugging Hana as we both laughed uncontrollably. "That was so fun!" We both said at the same time, both of us lost in each other's gaze. I swear I would've stayed there forever if she hadn't pulled me along for another few games to play.

We walked hand in hand through the carnival, getting close to have had done everything there was to do. She gasped, pulling me down to what caught her eye. "You have to win me that!" She said, pointing at the gigantic teddy bear up on the wall of a tent. "Pssh... easy." I said confidently. I turned to the man in the tent. "So what do I have to do to win that teddy bear ya got there?" I asked. "Simply throw the ring onto the bottle to win the teddy bear." He answered, handing me 3 rings, before stepping to the side to reveal a bottle in the center. "I believe in you!" Hana said, jumping up and down in excitement. I turned to her smiling, before winking. I then turned back to the bottle before throwing the ring, as it landed perfectly on the bottle.

Hana swooned as I handed her the teddy bear, smiling wide as she pulled me into a hug. "Oh thank you! I love it!" She exclaimed, hugging me again.

We then decided to leave and go do something else. We walked around the city, the snow crunching lightly as we watched kids run around and have a snowball fight. I laughed, shaking my head while smiling. The lights of the city were as bright as I remembered them in my childhood, the city as lively as ever. We walked around, chatting as we found ourselves in a park, the trees covered in snow as the wind blew hard.

"Ah I love this park! I remember playing with my friends here! We used to play football all the time here! I never thought I'd end up back here again!" I said, looking around in wonder. "I'd love to watch a little you running around as a kid playing football. Were you any good?" She asked, slightly mocking me. I gasped, faking hurt. "That knife cuts deep. I'll have you know I was the star quarterback of my team." I stated proudly. "I bet you're not as good as you think." She giggled.

"Oh you're asking for it." I said, picking up a bit of snow and compacting it into a snowball. I threw it, hitting her in the chest. I laughed, wiping away my tears of joy as she threw one back, hitting me in the head. She laughed as my smile faded. And just like that, we were in an intense snowball fight. We both giggled as we ducked and dodged incoming snow as we threw our own. In the end we were both covered in snow, laughter filling the air around us. "I win." She said. "Uh... no. I won!" I said proudly. She walked up to me, a smile on her face. "Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Really." I responded.

She the pushed me, and I grabbed her arms as I fell backwards off the hill we were on. We both held each other close while tumbling downhill, snow flying as we kicked around. We both stopped, her face inches from mine, right on top of me. We both giggled, staring at each other. There was little to no space between us as we leaned in closer, our lips practically touching. She smiled, lifting a snow filled hand in the air, and throwing it at me, the snow covering my face. "I win." She laughed, getting up, picking me up as well. "Aww come on! No fair! You cheated." I complained.

"Whatever let's you sleep at night." She responded, walking back. "Come on, let's get back to base before they worry too much." She said. "Yeah. You're probably right. Let's get going." I said. I followed her back to the plane, walking slowly together as we stalled time so we could be here longer.

I purposely flew slow, wanting to spend as much time with her as I could. We both could just use a break, take a nice vacation together. We chatted about anything we could think of. I for once felt at ease this week, nothing on my mind except Hana. "Hey Hana?" I said, turning to her. "Yeah?" She asked. "Thanks for coming. It's nice to take my mind off of things and just be with you and hang out." I said, blushing lightly as I said it. "Don't thank me. I feel exactly the same about this. I'm happy I spent time with you." She responded, smiling at me.

We made it back, walking together hand in hand as I escorted her back to her room, being a gentleman like my father taught me to. We stopped at her room, as she opened the door, before turning back to me. "I had a great time today, it was fun." I said. "Me too." She said. We both laughed lightly, as I scratched the back of my head, nervous. "Well... goodnight Hana." I said, turning to go. She then grabbed my hand, pulling me back into her, before pulling me into a passionate, loving kiss. I was caught off guard, but welcomed it, leaning into her as well. She broke off, smiling brightly at me.

"Goodnight Brayden." She said, before entering her room and closing the door. 'Did I just...' 'Yes... I think we did...' I thought. I celebrated once again today, smiling widely and jumping in the air in excitement. I walked around the base, making my way down to my room.

I opened the door, flinging off my scarf, taking off my jacket, a smile permanently on my face. I whistled a tune as I kicked off my shoes, plopping down on the couch. Lena walked down to me, excited. "Well. How'd it go? And be detailed! Did you ride some roller coasters? Did ya see a movie? Did ya kiss?" She said, slowing down on the last question. I sighed, a smile still wide as ever upon my face. "Well, it's a long story. So listen closely..." I said.

I then explained everything we did, not revealing what we talked about, but the activities we did. I was in the middle of finishing the story, Lena's eyes and attention all on me. "So I wished her goodnight and left." I lied, but wished I could actually do it well. "I know you did more than that! You kissed didn't you?!" She yelled. I gave in, admitting defeat. "Okay... we may have kis-" she interrupted me with laughter and celebrations, hugging me. "Oh I knew it! I'm so proud of you! You're all grown up now luv! You kissed Hana-" I placed a hand on her mouth. "Not so loud!" I hushed her. "Now calm down, I'm gonna remove my hand from your mouth, and you will calm down. Got it?" I said. She nodded, and I slowly removed my hand.

"Now I'm going to sleep, and you will let me do so. I'm very tired and would like so peace and quiet. Goodnight Lena." I said, before heading to bed. I walked off as I heard her quietly celebrating, whispering instead of yelling. I smirked, before going to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

I woke up from my the best sleep I have had in a few months, smile on my face, and not feeling even a little out of place. I looked around the room, realizing I was alone, and had woken up a little later than usual. 'Probably because my mind was still on Hana all night.' I thought, before standing up, and deciding on taking a short shower to contemplate everything that happened last night.

I slipped out of my clothes, and then took off my eyepatch, looking into the mirror for a moment. My missing eye always drew attention from my other facial features, it's scarring taking a toll on my face. I sighed, not understanding how someone like Hana could even look at me, let alone place her lips upon my own rough lips. I shook my head, clearing my mind of the negativity and stepping into the shower. I placed my hands on the wall, letting the warm water flow down my back, it's soothing movement whisking me away from any worries or self doubt.

I eventually convinced myself to exit the shower, quickly drying off and placing some new, and much more comfortable clothes on, and left my room. I stepped out, my gaze fixated on a small hole in my shoe. I began to concentrate on it, trusting my feet to deliver me to my destination instead of right into a wall. My train of thought was interrupted as I bumped into someone along my route. My eyes snapped up, seeing a surprised Hana.

I chuckled, as she smiled at me brightly. "Well well well, I'm glad I bumped into such a beautiful young lady to brighten up my morning even further." I half joked half flirted. She blushed, before playfully slapping my arm. "Ugh... you're so cheesy." She said, rolling her eyes. I laughed, agreeing with her statement. "But my morning is going well so I'll let it slide..." she continued. "Are ya sure it's not because I'm so dashingly handsome and charming?" I joked. "Well, that has a bit to do with it. Come on, let's see what's for breakfast." She said, walking down to the cafeteria. I closely followed, as we made our way through the hallways, silence overcoming us. But it wasn't awkward, it was simply peaceful, our footsteps the only sound we could hear.

I opened the door, Hana entering as I followed, stepping into the cafeteria. I looked around, watching as everyone conversed and laughed as the chatted amongst themselves. We both sat down beside Lena and Lucio, and Lena raised an eyebrow before laughing to herself. I glared at her, before calling down for Mcree to pass the bacon. "Oh. There's the two love birds." He said, handing me the plate. Everyone chuckled, my cheeks burning up. "Ah, I knew young love would sprout somewhere within Overwatch." Ana said earning multiple agreements from other agents. I simply fought back the embarrassment, fire in my hands appearing without my consent, before Hana gripped my hands, squeezing them, the action calming me down. "Alright alright, we aren't here to talk about Hana and Brayden, we are here to enjoy another morning together." Jack said, defending me. I nodded to him, silently thanking him.

Lena leaned over to Hana, whispering in her ear. They both giggled, looking back at me as the talked. I raised an eyebrow, curious. Lucio leaned over to me. "Do you have any idea what they are talking about?" He asked. I simply shrugged. "Women." I joked, to which he lightly laughed. "Excuse me?" An offended Angela asked, looking at me scornfully, to which me and him shrunk in our seats. "Sorry mom..." we both said simultaneously.

My rather embarrassing breakfast was interrupted by a slightly worried Winston. "Hey Winston! What's up?" I asked. He sat in front of me, adjusting his glasses to the proper angle. "Sorry, not much time to chat. I need to brief you on a urgent mission, involving multiple hostages on a bridge." He answered. "Wait. Why me specifically?" I asked once again, confused. "Because Talon, or Reaper more specifically, is calling out for you. He says if you don't meet him he will kill the hostages. The police are being held back by fellow Talon operatives, so it's down to you to fix this." I sighed heavily, rubbing my eyes.

Hana stood up, along with Lena and Lucio, determination in their eyes. "We'll go with him." I immediately shook my head. "No no no... I'm going alone. He only wants me. I'll distract him, save the hostages, and find a way to not die. Simple." I said, realizing the danger in my plan (or lack there of) as I progressed in my sentence. "That's a horrible plan luv." Lena admitted. Many agents agreed, trying to come along as well. Their conversations and objections became louder and louder, growing more defiant, fighting for dominance amongst themselves, every sentence drowning out the last.

"Stop!" I yelled. They all quieted down, turning to me. "I'm going alone! This is something between me and Gabriel, and I don't want anyone caught in the crossfire." I continued, slamming my fist down on the table. "I don't want anyone hurt because of me. If I reach that point..." I hesitated, thinking of what would happen if I reached the breaking point, the familiar anger I have becoming too much to bare. "- I may not be able to control myself." I finished, walking away, heading to my room to grab my gear.

10 minutes later...

I finished putting on my gear, my hood off and my mask in my hand. I made my way down to the hangar, placing the rest of my things in the plane. I closed the hatch, walking around to enter the pilots seat. I was met with Hana, her arms folded. "I'm coming with." She demanded. I simply shook my head, pushing past her. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me in front of her.

"You're not coming! I'm too worried about hurting you." I answered, looking her right in the eyes. "What do you mean?! You won't hurt us!" She said, confused. "You don't understand the power I have, the potential for destruction when I reach a breaking point... is limitless. Now I know you want to come with because you care for me, but I need to do this alone." I said, lowering my gaze.

She placed a hand on my chin, forcing it upwards. "Promise me you won't get hurt. I hate seeing these horrible things happen to you. I can't see that again. Please, promise me..." She said, leaning into me. "I promise. Now you have to promise me something to come back to. I need you to stay here. It'd be great to have a certain someone waiting for me back here. I'd have a few ideas for what we could do..." I said, embracing her. "I would too." She said, raising an eyebrow at me, suggesting a few things for a date later today.

We both leaned in, our lips connecting once again, this time I wasn't so surprised, holding her tight in my arms, loving the feeling of warmth shared between us, appreciating it all the more since I need to once again head back into the fray. We eventually separated, and she rested her head on my chest as we hugged, as she wrapped her arms around me tightly. I sat there, holding onto her tight, before she let go, giving me a peck on the cheek before leaving. 'Now that is something we NEED to come back to.' I thought, that moment giving me all the motivation in the world to come back in one piece.

Later...

I landed near the bridge, police cars and many panicked civilians surrounding the area. I simply snuck by the police, making my way past the numerous barricades around the bridge preventing entry for citizens. I crouched behind a barrier, scouting ahead.

There were multiple Talon operatives, though most of them not paying attention. I could easily catch them off guard. I stood up to go and fight, but a familiar pink mech dropped down, firing at them, some of them dying instantly. I groaned, annoyed at her actions. She took multiple shots, her mech crackling with sparks, as I heard her groan in pain. I leaped over the barrier, charging into what was left of them. I tore through all of them, fire blazing the area, all of them being massacred.

"Ya know, you're really hot when you get angry like that. No pun intended." She giggled. I turned around, glaring at her. "I thought I said stay back! You promised me!" I yelled. "I know, I just wanted to help. I can't just stand by. I'm sorry, don't be mad at me." She said, giving me big puppy dog eyes. 'How can you stay mad at a face like that?' I thought. I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Look, I'm not mad, I just... I want you to be safe. But it's too late now. Come on." I said, turning around, grinning lightly as she cheered, following me.

"Watch out!" She cried, blocking the incoming fire from Talon agents. "Thanks." I muttered, before becoming engulfed entirely in flames, firing at them, burning through their cover. They all burned, falling down as I calmed down. "Is this easy mode?" Hana asked. I shrugged, before hearing the battle cries of incoming agents. I braced myself, standing back to back with Hana's mech as they surrounded us. "Did ya really have to say that?" I quipped, before blocking the onslaught of bullets coming my way. I released the shield, firing back at them, taking multiple out. "Switch!" She yelled. I flipped over her, firing at the people in front of her, as she turned around, firing at the men on my side. "Switch!" I yelled this time, sliding under her as she flew overhead, firing at the remaining men.

We both were breathing heavily, smiling as we laughed lightly at our teamwork. "Now THAT was easy mode!" I said, mocking her. She giggled. "You're lucky I enjoy your company, or else you'd be sitting in your room waiting for me to come back." I said. "Well you're lucky I decided to come help, else you'd probably be dead." She responded proudly. "Ah that would just drive my little bunny to tears now wouldn't it?" I joked, as she frowned at the nickname. "Don't call me that." She responded irritated at the joke. "Too late, its already stuck." I said. She groaned, complaining as we walked down to the center of the bridge where the hostages were being held.

We hid behind cover, looking as Gabriel stood over the hostages, multiple hostages circling overhead. I turned to Hana, concern in my voice as I spoke. "Alright. I'm going to need you to disarm the bomb under the bridge while I distract him. Now whatever happens, you focus on disarming the bomb. Understood?" I said. She hesitated, before nodding and flying off, and I turned back to Gabriel, exiting the cover I was in.

"You wanted me? Here I am." I growled, anger rising in my voice. "Yes. I see you got my message." He chuckled, gesturing towards the fearful hostages. "Yeah I did. Now let these people go! This is between you and me Reyes." I yelled. "Tsk tsk... not so fast. I need you to come closer, and take the hostages yourself." He said. I took a step forward without a second thought, before taking the 3 hostages, placing them behind cover and untying them. "Go. Run!" I ordered, and they immediately stood and ran. I turned back, fire rising in my hands since I had no more reason not to burn him right now. "Wait. There's more to the problem. Boys!" He yelled, clapping his hands. Two agents came out, Hana in their hands. "Let her go now!" I said, the fire becoming more and more intense. "Now your little friend right here disarmed the bomb, which I didn't take to kindly to. So how about I kill her right now and get it over with?" He laughed, placing a gun to her head. "Stop it! Take me instead! I'm what you wanted! Just don't... don't touch her. Please." I begged, falling to my knees.

He removed the gun, stepping forward to me. "Ah... I knew you wouldn't let your little girlfriend die now. Oh young love, such a beautiful thing. Too bad I've gotta kill you. Don't worry, I'll let Hana go." Hana struggled, trying to escape their grip. I shook my head, mouthing the word no.

I felt a large bullet enter my chest, knocking me backwards. I stumbled, groaning as my blood stained the ground below me. I heard Hana scream as she looked in terror. I tilted my head up, looking Gabriel in the eyes. I heard the click of the trigger as another bullet pierced my skin, and I hit the ground. I yelled in agony, hearing Reaper's chuckle drown out Hana's cries. I looked up, watching as Hana elbowed the guard to her right, grabbing his pistol from his waist and shooting the other guard before shooting him. Reaper turned around. "What the... argh!" He yelled, as he was shot in the shoulder.

"You little..." His sentence was interrupted by police sirens nearing the scene. He growled, before dissolving into mist, disappearing from sight. "Death will come for you..." I heard his whisper echo through my ears. Hana ran to my side, worry in her eyes. "Don't worry my little bunny, I'm fine..." I weakly muttered, my hand stroking her face. "Come on, I'm getting you out of here." She said, picking me up.

She placed me in the copilot seat to keep an eye on me as she flew, looking at me every few seconds. "I had it under control as always." I joked, my attempt at laughter turning into a painful coughing fit. She only looked at me, smiling at me, her smile warming my heart. "On the brink of death and still cracking jokes. I found me a good one." She said to herself, giggling at the situation. "So did I... so did I." I agreed, nodding.

We landed back at base, as I leaned on her as she carried me. I had convinced her that I was okay and didn't need to see Angela, and that I would be fine. She barely agreed to it, still needed to give me stitches. She opened the door to her room, and I limped my way to her couch, laying down on it, a sigh of relief coming from me as I relaxed into the couch. "I'm gonna need you to take off your shirt." She ordered. I raised an eyebrow, laughing. "That's not what I mean." She responded, rolling her eyes as I slipped out of my shirt. She sat down beside me, analyzing my chest. I simply looked into her eyes as I daydreamed about her.

"See something ya like?" She asked, noticing my staring while leaning in to get a better angle of the wound. "When I'm looking at you? Always." I said. She blushed, trying to focus on the wound. "You just... say these things. They're cute and all, but are they true?" She inquired, looking up at me for a moment. "Did you really just ask that? What, do you want to know what I like about you or something?" I questioned, returning the gaze. She reluctantly nodded.

I sighed. "Well, if you really need to know. I love the way your smile lights up a room. I love the way you flawlessly flip your hair back without a single trouble. I love how competitive you are. I love the way you act like you're not cutest thing in the world to me, but know that deep down. I love the way you are able to stay calm in any situation. I love the way you giggle at my unfunny jokes. I love the way you lean into me without even realizing. I love the way you weren't afraid to kiss me like I was. Shall I go on?" I said, my emotions flowing like a river. She gasped, laughing. "What?" I asked. "I never took you for the romantic type is all." She admitted, giggling. "Well I'm full of surprises..." I answered, smiling at her mischievously. She looked up at me after cleaning the wound. "Like this." I finished, pulling her into a kiss, and I laughed lightly as she yelped in surprise, but then melted into me.

"Hey luv Winston sent me to see how the- AAAHHHHHH!" I turned over to see a embarrassed Lena looking down to not see what was happening. "Lena? Ever heard of knocking?" I asked, slightly irritated. "Yes." She gulped. "Now, it's not what it looks like." I said, holding my hands up as I walked towards her. "Are you sure? Cuz it looked like you two were kissing to me." She chuckled. "Nno...no- no! We were just, uh...it was uh... mouth to mouth resuscitation... yeah. That's it!" I said, scratching the back of my head. "Yeah, and water isn't wet. I'm happy for you two." She said, a smile forming on her lips. She ran over, hugging us both and sobbing lightly. We both looked at each other, smiling and rolling our eyes. "Oh you guys are all grown up. I'm so proud of you." She said in between sobs. I patted her head lovingly, laughing as Hana and I comforted her.

She eventually stopped, snapping back up and smiling. "Thanks luvs, I'm sorry I interrupted your little..." She hesitated, not knowing what to call it.

She then whistled, all of the agents coming out from behind the door, cheering and picking us both up. "This may or may not have been planned to catch you two kissing. But we needed to prove it!" Lena explained as they carried us out of her room. Hana and I shared a look of utter confusion as they carried us off against our will and were carried off in separate directions. All male agents went with me while all female agents went with her.

They sat me down at a poker table, pulling up chairs and laughing as we stared to play a few games of cards. We all laughed and shared our stories of our first kisses and girlfriends, some of them quite awkward, especially with Winston or Zenyatta but all of our stories earned a few laughs.

A few hours passed as most of my fellow friends became completely drunk, asking rather odd questions about me and Hana. I simply ignored them and changed the subject, using the alcohol in their systems to manipulate them. A few arguments broke out over who has had the most girlfriends, a tie forming between Lucio and (believe it or not) Genji, who was quite the player in his younger days as we found out.

I eventually got them to follow me and allow me to leave the group and head down to my room, but they still awkwardly followed me along the way. We came across Hana and her fellow female agents on a walk through the hallways. "Come on now, let's give 'em some privacy." Lena said, before winking at me as the rest of the agents left.

That left me and Hana to walk through the empty hallways to her room. "This has got to be the craziest day of my life." I laughed, fond memories of today still with me. "Tell me about it. I never knew this would be how I fall in love." She said, before stopping. "Uh, forget that last part." She said nervously. "My my my, did the famous Hana Song admit to falling in love with me?" I teased, fully aware I felt the same way. "Don't get your hopes up. I'll still destroy you in any game we play." She quipped. "Oh no. I think it's the other way around to be honest." I responded.

"Oh really?" She asked. "That a challenge?" She said. "Bring it my little bunny." I teased her again. "Oh now you're asking for it." She said as we walked to her room, where we played game the entire night, laughing and play fighting and wrestling as our rivalry in games became more and more intense, but our relationship and friendship only growing as the night went on.


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Note

I just want to notify you all before you read the chapter what you'll be coming across. I hope to evoke some real emotions in this chapter as it's going to cover some dark tones and messages. This chapter focuses on the hell that people in war go through, and is about Brayden experiencing the hells in this world as his psyche is completely scarred as he witnesses first hand what war is really like. This chapter is told through the point of view of Brayden after his multiple missions in the battlefield, and is also 3rd person for the parts that take place in the Overwatch headquarters while he is away. It's going to have a lot of transitions between the two POV's so be ready.

December 23rd, Brayden's POV

I sat in silence amongst my new men to lead in the war against the rouge omnics and Bastion E-54 units inside the plane. We all huddled together inside as the plane rocked side to side from incoming fire. My presence here brought some men hope, while it also brought some distraught, as they thought they would all die in front of a hero.

I pulled out a picture of all my fellow agents in Overwatch, my friends, my family. I stared at it while holding back the tears. I had so much planned for Christmas, but now I'm here in France, getting ready to be shot at for however long I am here. My attention snapped up to a young soldier asking me something. "Are you one of those heroes?" He asked, looking up at me. I sighed, before nodding grimly. "Good, I'm proud to serve with you." He said, smiling as he saluted me, along with everyone else. "I guess you guys are my new crew huh?" I asked, placing the photo I had back in my pocket. They all nodded. "Sir yes sir!" They yelled. "At ease! Don't call me sir either, I'm just a young man thrust into battle like all of you." I said, looking around at the young men surrounding me.

The plane rocked once again, rockets flying by. I looked out the window at the snow, watching as the frost stuck to the cold metal exterior of the plane. I watched as E-54 units gunned down many retreating men in the battlefield, the rest of the men in trenches miles away.

Earlier that day...

"I what?!" I screamed. Jack didn't even flinch, looking directly at me, staring me down. "You heard me! You're being sent to France to help military forces force the E-54 units back. You'll be stationed there until further notice. Am I clear?" He answered.

"But won't they realize I'm too young?" I asked. "No. With all the chaos going on down there hey won't be checking your age, hell they won't even question what your name is." He answered. I reluctantly saluted my superior, before leaving to gather my things. I opened the door to my room, ignoring Lena's greetings. "Hey luv! What's happening?" She asked, as I pushed by her to grab my military gear. It wasn't my normal suit, it looking like any other military uniform, but still heavily modified to make sure it doesn't burn when I fire at enemies. "Oi! What are you doing?! Why are you gathering that? Answer me!" She demanded. I didn't look back, closing the door as I went to the hangar to report to where I was stationed to get another plane trip down to the battlefield.

Hana called my name as I walked by but I only faked a smile and left, not trying to worry her.

Back to the present...

I threw my loosely fitting helmet onto the ground, sitting down in the mud filled trenches, my gear and boots completely soaked as the rain fell heavily upon my messy, unkempt hair, the pitter patter of the rain hitting the metal helmet and gun I had. I wiped my face, my hands still soaked with the blood of my fallen teammates from our last charge. Their screams of agony still echoed in my head as loud as the ringing in my ears from the explosion that caused them.

It was too hot for their to be snow here anymore, all of the fires and explosions keeping us all warm, but not comfortable. I looked around as men walked through the mud and dirt to their tents to try to get some shut eye, but the relentless barrage of bullets coming from the omnics prevented that from happening. We were all desperate for a good nights rest, but the omnics had no need for rest, and kept pushing.

I pulled out the photo once again, covering it from the freezing rain with my helmet, but to no avail as it was already wet from my soaked pockets. I fought back the urge to cry, as it was bad for a leader to cry in front of his men, as it would lower already low morale.

Staring at the photo before I was given another mission became a substitute for actual sleep. I coughed lightly as the smoke still fresh in my lungs, my face and hands covered in mud and blood, my weary eye had its pupil constantly dilated, frantically searching around as paranoia already set in. I pulled my knees into my chest, laying my head down upon my arms and knees, listening to the rhythm of the explosions thundering in the distance, as I hoped for my tears to dissolve.

The next day in Overwatch headquarters, 6:00 pm...

We all sat at the table, discussion filling the air of our successful missions and our laughter and jokes. Hana sat with Lena, a empty seat obvious and ominous at the same time. "Hey, anyone seen Brayden? He doesn't usually leave for no reason." Lucio asked, concern showing in his eyes as he looked around the table. Most people shrugged, or shook their heads, except for Lena who spoke up. "Last time I saw him he didn't speak to me, he just gathered a bunch of military gear and left, not a word spoken." She said. "Why would he just get up and leave? I don't like that idea." Reinhardt added. "Me neither." Hana finished.

Jack cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention. "I have an announcement. I know where he went. I stationed him in France to help with the war efforts since he is so powerful. I felt he could be helpful for the forces to push the omnics back, and then come back." Jack said, as everyone gasped. "Wait what?!" Hana and Lena yelled simultaneously. "Jack! You didn't notify any of us?!" Winston asked in disbelief. "Jack! Do you know what kind of repercussions can come of this?!" Angela yelled, anger in her voice. "He's just a boy. Oh, gods keep him safe." Ana prayed, looking down, saddened by the news.

Everyone yelled and talked about the decision, not liking the possible consequences. Jack sunk in his chair, guilt in his heart rising as he realized he could've sent him to his death. "Look, I didn't do it carelessly. I simply felt he was ready, and that he could help them. He can clearly take care of himself." He defended himself, but some still quite angered by the choice he made. Many of them stormed off from the table, worried about their fellow agent. Lena and Hana comforted each other, both scared of losing Brayden.

December 24th, Christmas Eve, Brayden's POV

"Man down! Get suppressing fire on that left flank, keep them back!" I ordered, dragging the wounded man back. "Medic!" I yelled, before the man gripped my arm, before whispering in my ear. "It's been an honor, captain." He said, before his body went limp in my hands. I lowered my head, honoring my fellow soldier, before running back to help the first line of defense. It was utter hell here, the screams of men and women as they were ruthlessly gunned down. We were pinned down, the remaining few units suppressing us behind a wall. "Sir! Do you have a plan?" A private asked, only a man of 24. I nodded, before signaling for everyone to fall behind me. They did as told, and I held up my shield, pushing forward into the bullets, the soldiers behind me firing back at them, taking out a few. I gritted my teeth as I took a bullet to the thigh, but forced myself forward, barely holding out until the last one was dead.

Some men celebrated, some only mourned their losses. It was getting cold, very late at night. I started to march back to the trenches, glad that we could actually go to sleep as we pushed many omnic forces back, making them retreat to regroup for another attack tomorrow.

I sat down in my usual spot by the fire, trying to warm myself as it started to snow here again, the snow falling softly and gracefully upon our weary heads. A lot of us smiled, happy for well deserved peace near a fire, enjoying our meals. The wind blew the fire out, as many soldiers complained. I stopped them, reigniting the flame, as they watched in amazement. "How did you do that?" One women asked, a hint of a British accent in her tone. I shrugged, confessing. "I don't exactly know, all I know is it's the reason I'm a part of Overwatch, even though it's 'illegal'." I joked. They laughed, not caring about my illegal activities, just grateful for my presence.

One man looked at how wrist, checking the time. "Oh shit! Captain, it's Christmas!" He said, excited. "I guess it is. Merry Christmas." I chuckled before starting to sing.

 _Silent night, holy night_

 _All is calm, all is right_

Most of them were taken aback by me singing since I was so strict during battle. Some of them started to hum along with the song. They started to group together, laughing and joking for once in a long while in this battle.

 _Round yon virgin Mother and Child_

 _Holy infant so tender and mild_

 _Sleep in heavenly peace_

 _Sleep in heavenly peace_

 _Silent night, holy night_

 _Son of God, love's pure light_

 _Radiant beams from thy holy face_

 _With the dawn of redeeming grace_

Everyone started to sing along, their voices echoing through the air, carrying itself down to other parts of the trenches. It was harmonious in its own way, as all of us came together to celebrate the holiday before we go back into the hell that awaits us.

 _Jesus, Lord at thy birth_

 _Jesus, Lord at thy birth_

 _Silent night, holy night_

 _Shepherds quake at the sight_

 _Glorious streams from heaven afar_

 _Heavenly hosts sing alleluia_

 _Christ the Savior is born_

 _Christ the Savior_ _is born_

We kept singing along, as we heard the men and women from other parts of the trenches sing in the same rhythm as us, our voices echoing through the night louder than any machine gun fire heard this whole battle. We all came together for one moment, for we knew that by tomorrow we could all be dead, overrun by omnics, so we took the chance to celebrate, preparing ourselves for the next battle.

Later that day, 10:46 pm

I sat alone today, mourning the loss of more men and women, some my friends, bullets still flying overhead as the machines came closer and closer, our last lines of defense depleting rapidly. I looked around as the once jolly nature we had before turned back into its original form, only disparity and sadness in everyone's eyes, our rations and soldiers to spare were running low, every person valued.

I snapped up as a man flew over the trenches, landing near my foot. They were at our doorstep, and knocking hard. "Retreat! Everyone fall back, they're coming! Hurry, grab the injured and get down to the second trench line. Don't look back!" I said. One man stopped when he ran in front of me. "Wait! Where are you going?" He asked, holding multiple guns in his arms. "I'm holding them off. I'll come back, but I'm buying you time. Don't waste it!" I yelled, pushing him forward before he could argue.

I climbed up the trench, looking in horror as the omnics rushed towards us, killing anyone in the way. I slowly inhaled, before blocking all of the incoming fire, sending it back at them, taking many out. But their numbers were infinite, each unit taken out was replaced with 5 more. I held out as long as I could, buying them a good 30 seconds to escape and set up defenses, before I was shot multiple times. I groaned, falling backwards and holding my bloody shoulder. I got up as quickly as I could, and limped my way back, the incoming bullets making my adrenaline pump more and more.

I finally made it back, and the E-54 units stopped their onslaught, gathering up all their strength for one final assault. I huddled up in a corner, while directions for our last line of defense were given out. The plan was simple, hold them off until back up arrives with an EMP, then go home. Executing it however, was an entirely different story.

I sat there, shaking as the bullets flew overhead of us keeping them at bay, the loud explosions and screaming enough to drive me insane. I sat there, accepting my possible death, happy with how my life turned out. Multiple regrets; but impossible to fix. I stared at the crumpled picture of my family in my pocket, my tears seeping out, falling down. I was grateful for it being dark so no one could see this. I knew I wasn't expected to live, and that I'm supposed to be ready to sacrifice myself at all times. I wasn't worried about myself. I was worried about Lena, about Angela, and especially about Hana. My life flashed before my eyes, all of its ups and downs flashed in my head in a matter of seconds. Angela's motherly love. Hana's love and friendship. Lena's antics. Me and Mcree shooting together. Reinhardt teaching me the best way to block bullets. Genji and Zenyatta meditating with me. Jack actually hugging me for once. Zarya and I having a arm wrestling championship. Everyone, all of our moments together, and all of them I greatly appreciated and enjoyed. I sighed, ready to accept death if it came down to it.

Earlier today, Overwatch headquarters...

Hana sat alone watching as people opened their presents, thanking one another and hugging. She hadn't talked much since she figured out where Brayden was. Lena tried multiple times to assure her that he would come back, and that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. She just wanted to see him again, and knew if he came back he would never be the same. She held the present she got for Brayden in her hands, fiddling with the bow on the top of it. She had found a note he wrote before he left to the war, and had read it more times than she can count, reading and reading it over and over. His hand writing was sophisticated, but slightly sloppy as he wrote quickly before anyone saw. It read:

 _Hello Hana, or anyone reading this, I'm going to be gone for a while, as I'm needed in the battle, and Jack sent me. Do not be angry with him, he sent me there wishing the best for me, and I accept his orders, and I shall follow them to my last breath, but I hope it doesn't come to that. I will always be there in your hearts, and you will always be in mine. I hope to see you as soon as I can, and report back good news for the war efforts._

 _Have a merry Christmas, and a happy holiday. Don't sulk about wishing I could be there with you, just know I will be back. I apologize for my lack of presents this year, as I was planning on getting them today, before I was informed of my duties. Goodbye everyone, and much love to you all!_

 _\- Love, Brayden_

She sighed as she sat there, boredom becoming a problem as she twiddled her thumbs about waiting to go back to her room, but first she had to open a lot of presents, as she faked a smile, opening them for the impatient agents, all of them wanting their present to be opened first. She hoped to see Brayden again, and hoped even more for him to come back okay, both physically and mentally.

Present day, Brayden's POV

The bullets whizzed past my ear, all of them finding their way into one of the men behind me. We were stuck in the trenches, knee deep in our own dead soldiers, and barely keeping the omnics at bay as they approached, their onslaught ruthless and unrelenting. I kept my composure having been in situations like this before, but not with this much at stake. Usually it would end the simulation when I get shot and I wouldn't beat my high score, but now, this was real, one misstep and I'm dead.

"Captain! We have enemies on the left flank pouring in, what do we do?" One of my trusted men asked. "I need to stay here to lead the final charge, but I trust you to lead a few battalions down there to hold them off. I'm counting on you, without your support we won't be able to hold out long enough." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded. "Just make sure you come back in one piece sir. It'd be great to see you on the other side." I smiled dodging incoming bullets. "I can't promise that, I already promised too much to a girlfriend back home." I said, firing back at the omnics with an assault rifle. He chuckled, before leaving me to the omnics, as he took some men and went down to the left to hold them off. We only needed a few more minutes until the strike team can drop the EMP, rendering them useless.

"Alright everyone! This is it! The whole reason we are still here! Don't fight for honor! Don't fight for glory! Don't fight for money or for anything else. Fight for each other, for yourselves! This is our world, our land! Those are our loved ones waiting for us back home, depending on us to get this done. Now I won't lie to you about our odds, we will have casualties. But think of what we can do! There will be songs sung of our greatness, and the bravery it took to be here. They will tell stories about this day, and for generations more! And then when we fight these bastards off, we can go home, to our warm food and our soft beds, to our families, our friends. I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of you. This is our time! Whoever is with me, step forward!" Everyone stepped forward, pride in their eyes. I handed my weapon to the first in line, who was lacking proper weapons. He looked at me, quite confused. "You'll need it more than me." I said, before charging out of the trenches, all of them close behind.

Some of us in the front were mowed down, but I held my hands up, blocking the enemy fire and charged head first into the center of them, the fire crackling in my hands as I burned the omnics around me, their wires shorting out as my battalion fired back, many of the E-54 units falling down dead. One E-54 shot a man in the leg, and I shielded him before the omnic could deliver the final blow. I then grabbed the turret, crushing it before throwing it into a group of turrets suppressing my soldiers. We pushed them back, the units retreating backwards into the forests where this began.

I turned around, as the soldiers around me celebrated and cheered as the strike team in the jets flew in, dropping the EMP on the units left alive. The explosion of it pushed us backward, the debris flying near us. I watched as the E-54 units toppled over and shut off as everyone around me celebrated. They were all chanting my name as I sat in disbelief that the battle was over. I could actually go home, see everyone again. I held back the tears that attempted to escape, as I mourned the loss of my friends in these past few days.

I turned back to the planes, planning on leaving as soon as I could. I messaged Jack of the success, and he said he was sending a plane to pick me up today. I sat back in the trenches, my spot for these past few days. I looked around as the bodies were piled up nearby. But I didn't look away, I instead ingrained that into my memory, choosing to never forget the men and women who sacrificed everything for this victory, paying the ultimate price. I looked as my hands were covered in the blood of the fallen, some of it dry, some still warm on my finger tips. My hands were shaking as their screams ran back and forth through my mind. My eye slightly twitching as the cruel memories made sure they were not forgotten anytime soon. I waited in silence for the plane to arrive, to be back in heaven, back in Hana's arms, back in a soft bed, back with friends. Back home.

The next day...

I finally arrived back at the base, really late at night, a sight for sore eyes as I stepped out of the plane, sighing heavily, still a bit shaken from everything I experienced back there. A shudder ran through me as I walked down to Jack's office to see him again. I actually missed him a great deal, appreciating what he does all the more since I experienced people depending on you to give out orders.

I opened his door, and his weary eyes snapped up to me. "Brayden. Oh god it's so good to see you. I'm so sorry for sending you. I didn't know it was that bad, I thought... I thought-" He stuttered, hugging me tightly. I pulled from the hug, looking him in the eyes. "Don't apologize. I'm just glad I'm back. I... I didn't know if I would see you again." I admitted, saddened by the thought. He placed a loving hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. "I'm so glad to see you. And I know everyone else will be too." He said. "Yeah. I better greet everyone so they don't freak out too bad." I said, waving before leaving.

I walked around, my uniform still on, but it was clean again, and I sighed before knocking on Angela's door. "Come in." She answered. I stopped for a second, shaking off the memories of death and destruction I had witnessed, putting on a smile, before opening the door. She was hard at work like always, typing away furiously before glancing in my direction. She took a double glance, before standing up, walking over to me. "I'm back mom." I said, opening my arms. She gasped before running over to me, wrapping her arms around me. She placed her hands on my face, checking for any injuries. "Are you okay? Let me check-" I placed a hand on her own, gripping it, before smiling warmly. "I'm fine mom, seriously, I made it back in one piece. Unlike a lot of people." I said, my voice growing sadder as I thought about it and how lucky I was.

She frowned, realizing my saddened tone. "I'm sorry you had to see that. We should've all went together, you wouldn't have been exposed to so much, it's just not good for someone your age. It can be very traumatizing for you, I may want to run a test for symptoms of PTSD." She worried. "I'm fine. It's just... I'll never forget what I saw there. I don't even know if I'm okay talking about it. But what matters is I'm here. I lived." I said. I turned away to leave her, before she grabbed my hand. I turned back to see her face quite worried. "If you need to talk about it, just know I'm always here for you." She said, releasing my hand. "I know mom, I know."

I went around the base, greeting everyone personally, assuring them I was alright. They all seemed glad to see me again, as my odds for survival weren't too high.

I saved the Hana and Lena for last. I wanted to see Lena first, and then that would leave the rest of the night for me and Hana to catch up. I opened the door to my room, knowing Lena always kept it unlocked. She was laying in bed, simply watching the news. Her head snapped in my direction, an instant grin spreading from ear to ear as she recognized me. "Hey luv." I simply said, as she blinked over to me, her hug knocking me over. We both giggled as we fell over, not needing to say much to each other, knowing how we felt.

We spent the next hour chatting and catching up with each other. "So how is Hana doing?" I asked, afraid to hear an answer. She frowned, shaking her head. "She is not doing well luv. Ever since we heard the news she hasn't been the same. Lucio and I have tried to cheer her up, but no matter how hard we tried, she just missed you. And it showed, she hadn't talked for a while. But now is your chance, go cheer her up. Do some uh... charming boyfriend things. I don't know something-" She stopped, as I nodded, understanding what I needed to do. "Well, don't just stand there. Go cheer her up!" She said, pushing me out the door.

I stood in front of her door for a few minutes, no sound coming from her room. I held my hand in front of the door to knock, but hesitated, something stopping me. I sighed, worried how she would react to me coming back. I shook it off, knocking on her door gently but firmly. "Go away." She muttered, her voice filled with so much sadness. I stopped once again, before saying something. "Aww come on little bunny, ya won't even let me in?" I asked, hearing her run towards the door, swinging it open. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking up and down at me, analyzing every part of me. She then leaped into my arms, pulling me into a warm embrace, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck as she hugged me. I held her in my arms as I walked forward, carrying her with me, before closing the door behind me with my foot.

"I've missed you so much! Are you okay? What happened?" She said, her wide smile fading into a concerned frown. I placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm fine. And I'm doing even better now that I'm here. I missed you so much, I tried so hard to keep my promise to you." I joked, slightly lying as I was shot many times, her tight embrace hurting me ever so slightly from my wounds. But I loved it all the same, the feeling of joy when I'm with her is something I could never imagine. "I'm so sorry I missed Christmas, but I-" She placed a finger on my lips, hushing me. "It's alright, I'm just glad you're okay. Now I can beat you in some more games later." She joked.

I smirked, holding her tight as we giggled. She gently tackled me to the floor, leaning into me as she chuckled, her hand caressing my face ever so smoothly. "Ah I missed this. Your touch is... I can't even describe the sensation you give me." I said, relaxing on the floor. "I missed those little compliments of yours. Even though they are horribly cheesy." She laughed, as I blushed, before kissing her cheek. She smirked down at me, and I raised an eyebrow. "You missed." She said, leaning in to me, planting a warm kiss upon my lips. She broke the kiss, smiling as she rested her head on my chest. "It must be the missing eye, messes up my aim." I joked, as she giggled, wrapping an arm around my chest as she curled up next to me.

"You're a good pillow you know that?" She said, her head gently rising and falling as I inhaled and exhaled. "You going to sleep on me?" I asked, not minding that though, as I was exhausted. "Yeah." She answered, not even bothering to look at me as she closed her eyes. "Sure ya don't want a blanket? Or just want to sleep in the bed?" I asked, as she shook her head no, before giggling once again and falling asleep, as the temptation of sleep grew stronger and stronger, and I eventually gave in and slept beside her.

Next morning...

My head jerked up as I analyzed my surroundings, becoming too familiar with having to be awake and ready for an attack at any moment. I soon relaxed as Hana's steady breathing calmed me, my arm wrapped around her, holding her close. I looked at her as she slept so peacefully, her face as beautiful as ever. I decided not to move, not wanting to wake her up, the moment too good for me to screw up. 'Man we are really lucky aren't we?' I thought. 'Yes we are.' I answered, smiling at the woman in my arms.

I sat alone for awhile, thinking about the battle, the memories still fresh in my mind, along with the wounds I sustained. I started to shake a bit as visions flashed through my mind, sending me back to the hell I experienced there. The violent visions ceased as Hana stirred in my arms, snapping me back to reality. I turned to her, smiling as her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning." I whispered. "Good morning handsome." She responded, yawning and stretching. She slowly stood up, before grabbing my arm and pulling me up as well.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She yelled, running over to her bedside table, picking up a box with a little pink bow on it. "It's your present." She said, handing it to me. I looked at it, slowly opening it before stopping. "It won't explode right?" I joked, to which she punched my arm. "Just open it." She said.

I opened the present, smiling as I pulled out a pink eyepatch, hand woven and with a white bunny on it. "It's just something I made. It's a little sloppy. I know you might've wanted something else but I thought it was cute and I-" I interrupted her by kissing her, not needing to say a word to explain it. I quickly slipped out of my old eyepatch, before placing the new, and much more brightly colored and less threatening eyepatch on, smiling as I turned towards her. "Well, do you like it?" She asked. "Are you kidding me? It's perfect! We've gotta show everyone the new look!" I said, dragging her with me as we both laughed through the hallways, making our way to the cafeteria.

I opened the doors, smiling as I made my way to my normal spot at the table, people chuckling as I walked by. "I can see you're enjoying the new present." Genji joked, watching as I sat down beside Hana and Lena. "Enjoying isn't the proper word. How about, experiencing?" I said. "Ah, quite the poet we got here. What's next, a Shakespeare play?" Mcree joked, a cigar in his mouth.

"Oh Romeo oh Romeo, where art thou?" I said, laughing as Mcree wasn't very pleased with the comment. "Are you seriously going to wear that in missions?" Angela asked. "Why not?" I replied. "I don't know. I feel like it really takes away from the intimidation factor. I mean, imagine burning Talon agents down, and then turning around with a pink eyepatch. Quite confusing I must say." She answered, a smile forming as she thought of that situation.

"Well deal with it. This is the new me." I said. They all laughed, and I smiled as I looked to Hana, who was simply smiling, that sight assuring me I was back home.

 **Well there it is folks! My longest chapter yet! This was quite fun to write, as I tried to delve deep into the mind of Brayden as he was traumatized by the events, but also how his family back in Overwatch helped him overcome those memories and fears. Thank you all for reading!**


	23. Chapter 23

The explosions sounded in the distance as gunfire and the screams of people echoed throughout my head as I awoke at the first crack of dawn. 'Try and focus on something to tie you to reality.' I thought, turning to look at Lena beside me as she slept calmly. I focused on her as she slowly morphed into a dead soldier lying in their own blood. "What? No..." I muttered, running to the dead soldier, flipping their body to find my friends face during the battle that day staring back at me, his cold dead eyes sending fear into my heart. "No... I tried to save you..." I slowly stepped back, tripping over another dead man. I crawled backwards, my heart pounding as I stood back up.

I looked down at my hands as a sensation of warmth on it alarmed me. I gasped as they were covered in blood, the screams slowly growing louder and more intense as I focused on my hands. My whole body started to shake as a shiver ran through me, unable to keep myself calm and still as something snatched my shoulder, turning me around. I looked in fear as soldiers were mowed down in front of me as one man grabbed my shoulder, pleading for help. But I simply stood there, paralyzed in fear as I stood frozen in place, the people around me dying in gruesome ways. "No, no please." I begged, falling to my knees as the omnics walked ominously towards me, their guns trained on me. But before they fired, I snapped back to the real world around me, growing aware of my environment.

Lena knelt in front of me, her eyes fixated on me as she analyzed me. "Brayden! Calm down! It's me luv! It's Lena!" She said, shaking my shoulders, as I sat there completely shell shocked. I blinked multiple times, the visions now completely subsiding as my sight became clear again, and I calmed down as Lena stared at me intently.

"Luv are you quite alright? I lost you for a minute there. You were yellin' about the battle or something? Are you okay? Do you need Angela?" She asked, realizing the battle messed me up more than I made it seem like. "I'm sorry... I... I'm fine. It's just that, those men and women I fought beside... most of them didn't make it, and a lot of them sacrificed themselves for me. I-" I stuttered, not able to think clearly yet. "That's not your fault. You can't save everyone. Sometimes you lose people, that's just how life is." She replied, acting as if it was an everyday thing.

"You act like they aren't even people! I formed bonds with these people, I watched helplessly as they were gunned down like cattle! Now don't you act like that hell I experienced wasn't important, and that is how life goes! It's not! This isn't something I can just forget as my own friends all died horribly as I got to witness my world get flipped upside down. Don't you dare..." I snapped, all of the pent up anger and sadness coming out in one big blaze of fire as Lena looked on in horror, stepping back slowly.

I turned around quickly and stomped out the doorway, not looking back as she called my name. 'She didn't deserve that.' I thought, guilt rising in my chest as I stormed off, not exactly knowing where I was going, just letting my feet lead me. 'Neither did the innocent people who died in that battle. But look at what happened to them.'

I sighed, figuring I would have an early breakfast and figure out something to do for today. I kicked open the door, being the first one there. I sat down, my fist itching for something to punch. I just need something to break. I tried to distract myself with food, but even then my anger made its way out as I violently stabbed at my food with a fork, denting the part of the table under it.

Soon enough I wasn't alone for long as the cafeteria became packed with other agents as always. I slightly distanced myself from everyone, not in a talking kind of mood. People shot glances my way, but kept their distance as well, as I wasn't subtle when I was in a bad mood, my skin red, and my hair a noticeable different color. Lena walked in, and her gaze met my own as she didn't even crack a bubbly smile like she normally does. She also sat on a completely different side of the room, sitting with a few other agents. 'Well great, I fucked that up as well.' I thought, before Winston sat beside me, which was quite odd as everyone else stayed well away from me.

"Hello." He simply said, smiling at me. "Hey." I replied, my tone of voice raspy and irritated, my hand uncontrollably trembling lightly, only noticeable if you are looking for it. "I uh, just wanted to say hello." He finished awkwardly. "Don't lie to me big guy, I know you're here for a reason. New mission?" I asked, hoping it was so I could release my anger.

"Well, yes. It's just a simple mission though, nothing too crazy. A simple patrol, reported sightings of Talon operatives inside vicinity of Kings Row, and we need you and a small team to locate and destroy any forces of any kind. I've already assigned Mcree, Hana and Lena with you."

'Of course, you had to pick Lena.' I thought. "Well, should I get ready now or what?" I asked. He shook his head. "No need. You have an hour to rest and get ready before take off." I stood up anyways, not particularly hungry or in the need for a chat this morning, so I went off to grab my things.

I was ready within 10 minutes, not wasting anytime, and I decided to wait in the plane for the time being before we left. I tried to keep my mind off the battle and visions that come with it, but it always crept its way into my mind, no matter how far back I pushed it. My left leg had developed a slight twitch ever since the battle. My eye also developed a twitch, along with my pupil being considerably more dilated than usual, my eye darting around rapidly, my paranoid senses kicking in. I was noticeably shaken up from the entire ordeal, but I played it off, thinking it was nothing, hoping for it to wear off so I didn't suffer any more side effects. Every once and a while a flash of the gunfire and explosions would blind me, each time bringing a new scar with it. My now pink eyepatch betrayed my true feelings, the death and destruction witnessed in a matter of a few days enough to scar the most battle hardened soldier. Not to say I didn't appreciate the present Hana got me. I did truly love it, but I soon would have to place my mask on, which hid my horrified expressions.

I rested my eye for the time being, hoping closing my one eye would prevent the recurring nightmares from plaguing my happiness, but it didn't matter. No matter what I did, the ghosts of the dead came back to haunt me for all of my mistakes I made. 'Just think of something good. Just take your mind off of it ya know?' I thought, trying to think of anything. It didn't work, and I tried to focus on something real. I grabbed my dog tags given to me before the battle, the physical touch keeping me intact with reality.

Eventually the silence was interrupted by footsteps nearing me. I opened my eye to see Mcree, Hana, and Lena walking to me. I straightened myself up, trying to act calm and at least act like I was okay. Hana sat next to me, and Mcree sat on the other side of the plane, enjoying his alone time. Lena on the other hand stepped into the pilot seat, completely ignoring me. I don't know if it's from what I said or if she wants to just fly the plane. Either way it bothered me, it was like missing my other half of me.

We all sat in silence as the flight was nearing its end as I stood up, guilt overtaking me as I regretted what I said to Lena. She didn't deserve that outburst of rage all directed at her. I walked slowly towards the pilots seat, sitting down right beside Lena. "Hey." She muttered, her voice the complete opposite of her normal personality. "Hi..." I answered awkwardly, before working up the nerve to say something. "Hey luv. I'm sorry about what I said earlier today. I didn't mean that, and I shouldn't have directed all the anger at you. I know you were trying to help, and I'm sorry I snapped at you. We still best friends forever?" I asked, smiling as I finished what I was saying. She sat there for a moment, before her bubbly nature got the best of her as she smirked, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Forever." She replied, those words easing me as I relaxed.

2 hours later...

We had been atop multiple rooftops during our time here, scanning for any suspicious activity, but came up empty handed, the busy streets of London able to hide many secrets in its crowds. "Ah this takes me back to the good ol' days. Being a vigilante in the streets, kicking ass, taking names. Nothin quite like it." I said, staring off in the distance as I took a trip down memory lane while sitting down. Lena shot me a dodgy look, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, the whole, 'hate Overwatch thing'. Sorry about that." I said, smirking awkwardly.

"Are you sure we're in the right place? Maybe they were false reports or something." Hana doubted, obviously becoming bored. Patience wasn't her strong suit. "Yeah but there's gotta be some Talon and Vishkar goons around here somewhere. Besides, it's always good to just sit and watch the clouds roll by." Mcree replied, taking a seat by me. "Not when its bloody freezing." Lena said, shivering as she tried to warm up. "It's not cold." I answered, looking back at her. "Easy for you to say. You've got fire powers and stuff." She said. I laughed, fire spawning inside my palms, allowing me to look into the flames as they danced along the sky.

Another flash caught my eye, gunshots ringing in my ears. 'No. Not here, not now.' I panicked, trying to calm myself, but the loud noises coming from the crowds of people below didn't help me focus to ease my aching mind. I was doomed to wait until something stopped this as I stared off in the distance, the clouds becoming a dark gray as the smoke escalated into the sky, the ground below becoming a blaze of gunfire and explosions, the fire spreading along the land.

"Hey, you see that?" Mcree said, bumping my shoulder to gain my attention. 'Thank you.' I thought, the vision fading as I turned to him. "What?" I asked, and he pointed in response, a truck being filled by many people wearing black, their attire oddly looking like normal Talon uniforms.

"Hana, hand me the binoculars." I said, reaching out without withdrawing my attention from the truck. I felt her place them in my hands and I looked through them, trying to find any ties to Talon. A certain symbol caught my eye as I zoomed in, the insignia, while well concealed, was a dead giveaway. "Oh that's Talon alright. Now to figure out where they are going." I said more to myself than anyone with me.

I stood up, following the truck as it hovered around the streets, tracking the vehicle not a problem for me from my experience on the rooftops in London. Hana was beside me in her mech, and Lena who blinked across the gaps. Mcree on the other hand had some trouble keeping up. The truck stopped near a garage, opening up as the truck entered. I didn't hesitate to jump down and follow it, slipping inside before it shut. Lena was behind me, along with Hana who was following merrily along, although she had to eject from her mech to squeeze into the garage. Mcree was breathing heavily as we hid behind the vehicle we followed, only a few operatives in here.

"Well, what's the plan?" Lena asked, looking to me for an answer. I only smiled, charging into them, catching them off guard. I grabbed the closest one to me before he could aim at me, throwing him into the others, disorienting them. They groaned as I took them out one by one with the pistol I picked up from the operative. I sighed, content with how my idea worked out. "Well, that was easy. Mission complete?" I asked, disappointed in the lack of challenge. "Not so fast, we need to see if we can find anything here, and then destroy it." Lena replied, her eyes locked onto me. "Oh. Well I can do the destruction part, but I leave the searching thing to you guys." I said, leaning against a wall.

They all rummaged through the place, ransacking it in the process. We had found little to nothing before I stumbled upon a door we missed, hidden by many boxes. I moved them, before opening the door, curious as to why they would hide it.

My search was interrupted by a hand grasping my throat, lifting me up off the ground, as I struggled against it, before it tightened its grip. I soon realized "it" was Reaper. "Ah so predictable. Always charging in like some sort of hero. I used to be like that, but this is so much more fun." He chuckled, tilting his head as if analyzing me. "Didn't know pink was your color. And a bunny? Hana make this? Aww... so cute." He said, throwing me out the door. I landed on the cold hard floor with a crack, tumbling as I fell down the stairs leading to the doorway.

Mcree rushed to my side, helping me up, before his eyes narrowed as he drew his revolver, aiming it at Reaper. "You." He growled, his aim not faltering in the slightest as he stared his former friend down. "Ah Jesse, still with these amateurs?" He asked. "This is my family!" He yelled back as Hana and Lena surrounded him. But as soon as we closed in on him Talon agents broke into the warehouse from all sides, flanking us. We reluctantly surrendered, outgunned.

They kept their guns trained on me as I challenged Gabriel, not backing down. "Brayden. Are you sure you're feeling well? That battle must've shaken you up. I mean, watching those people die, and knowing it's all your fault? Can't be easy." He taunted me, I clenched my fists, their faces flashing through my mind. "Brayden don't fall for it!" Hana warned, before being silenced by more guns trained on her.

"Strike a nerve? Good. All those people you let die while Jack lazily watched from the sidelines, taking all the credit. Trust me, I know how it feels. The anger and hatred you feel. We're more the same than we are different, and maybe if you would let me finish a sentence you might learn something! I used to be just like you, a soldier who put the weight of the world on his shoulders, doing everything while his superiors sat and chatted about life over morning coffee."

"We're not the same! You're a criminal who kills civilians, with so much innocent blood on your hands. All these things you've done, you're not even worth redeeming." I countered, only growing more and more angry as he acted like he knew me.

"Don't you dare act like you don't have innocent blood on your hands as well! All those petty criminals you killed when you were off playing vigilante in the streets. All those men and women you led into battle, who believed in you, that you let die. You're not innocent. I read those reports back in France! You failed them!" He yelled, as the voices in my head sounded. I held my head, as it ached in my hands.

I snapped within a few seconds, losing all mental stability. I shielded my friends before slamming my fist into the ground, the flames erupting from my hands as they spread like wildfire, the flames burning through the agents around me. Their screams of agony replaced the screams of my friends back in France, as I tackled Reaper to the ground, burning him as I gripped him by the hood, before punching him in the face, relishing in the satisfaction I felt when my fists collided with his mask.

I kept punching as I felt his bones crack underneath my fists, the pressure fracturing and severely burning wherever I swung. He started to turn into a mist, only making me punch faster, hoping to kill him then and there. My fist was stopped from Mcree grabbing my hand, pulling me back. I calmed down as Reaper disappeared into the air, as Mcree held me closely as he hugged me. "I'm sorry Mcree I..." I said, my face buried in his cape. "You've got nothing to be sorry bout kid." He assured me, before releasing me and looking me in the eye. "Thanks Jesse." I replied, grateful for his hug. For a moment there I was lost in my blind rage, not in control of my actions as my need for vengeance took over.

Later that day, near midnight...

My brain ran through my memory, flashbacks occurring as I sat in the couch, my tense muscles and thoughts preventing any form of relaxation or relief. I appeared to be casual, but on the inside feeling conflicted and confused, the mission today making me feel uncomfortable. I couldn't even begin to describe the feeling as I almost killed Gabriel, not in control as I felt in another world entirely. In my mind I was back in France, the person I was pummeling stood between me and getting back to my family. And whoever got in the way of that lost.

My sight snapped to the door as I heard footsteps behind them, along with a light knocking. Even those little sounds triggered an alarm in my brain, sending me back to the battlefield. My senses heightened ever since France. The door opened as Lena walked in, goggles in hand. "Hey luv! Just finished explaining how the mission went to Jack. He smirked when I told him about the beat down ya gave to Gabriel." She said, taking a seat next to me, hanging her arm loosely around my shoulder as she scooted closer to me. "He got what was coming to him." I grumbled, my mind barely on what she was talking about. 'That wasn't me.' I thought, trying to assure myself that it wasn't. But a part of me doubted that, thinking it was just the real me, who was just not concerned with the consequences.

"Well either way I thought it was cool." She stated, completely oblivious to the conflicting emotions it caused for me. "Really? To be honest I was a little scared." I admitted. She frowned, looking me in the eye. "How come?" She asked. I sighed, shrugging as I tried to piece the words together to form a coherent sentence without worrying her. "I don't know... just the power I guess. I'm learning more and more what I'm capable of. I-" She grabbed my face, forcing it closer to her own. "Look, I know that you're shaken up from France. I can tell. But you can't let it suck away your life, the people you fought beside would want you to celebrate and live on in their names, not only remember the pain. I want you to be happy, it's almost New Year's Eve for crying out loud! And if you need to talk, just know I'm always here for you, not matter what." She said, her eyes showing concern like never before.

I fought back the flashbacks of those days, trying to focus on the present, and where I really was. "Yeah... yeah I'll try. I'm just... fighting off the visions in my head." I said, rubbing my temples. "Let me fight 'em with you! You ever feel one of them coming up, just grab me, and I'll do what I can! Hell, grab anyone of us! Don't fight this alone, we are always going to be here, ready to help you."

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm happy I have such loving people to call family. Don't worry, I'm fighting them off, just... know I won't always be so happy sometimes. Every once and a while when I'm not talking as much as I usually do, just let me be, and then I'll deal with my grief in my own way." I said, reflecting on my past. She stood up, placing her goggles on the table beside us. "Well, I'm gonna hit the hay. Ya comin' with?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. I shook my head, and she walked off.

I sat alone in the room as the darkness consumed me, caving in around me. 'Don't think about France. Remember what she said.' I lectured myself, shaking my head, trying to get rid of my sad thoughts. I started to regret my decision to stay awake, and stood up and walked to the bedroom.

The bed enveloped me in its warm comfort, and I sighed as I relaxed into the pillows, and I listened to Lena's light breathing as my own breathing fell in rhythm with it, and I drifted off to sleep, Lena beside me as she stayed close to me to keep me calm and relaxed due to my recent nightmares. But for once, they didn't come to keep me awake, as I fought off the visions as I slept peacefully once again.


	24. Chapter 24

The blizzard outside raged on, the strong winds colliding into the windows of the base, the cool air slipping inside the white walls. I felt right at home though, used to the blizzards and snowstorms from when I was young in New York. I walked through the hallways, everyone in their rooms bundled up inside blankets as they tried to warm up. I placed 3 blankets upon Lena while she slept, as I wanted her to be warm and comfortable. I stumbled across Hana's door, and I lightly knocked on her door, knowing she would be awake at this time. She surprisingly got into the habit of waking up early like me, but that didn't mean she wasn't still one of the worst people to wake up when they are sleeping. I took the risk, the rewards outweighing the consequences in so many ways.

I heard her light footsteps pitter patter towards the door, and the door opened, and I smiled as Hana looked at me. "Hey. I was a little cold so I... uh... figured I'd come warm up with you." I lied, not feeling cold in the slightest. She eyed me curiously, pretty sure I was lying about my "coldness". I faked a shiver and rubbed my arms. "Since when did you get cold?" She asked, smiling as I tried to come up with an excuse for being here. 'Do you really need one?' I thought to myself. "I get cold when I need an excuse to cuddle up near the fire with you." I chuckled. "And Lena bought the explanation so we have a while before she realizes what I'm really doing." I said, leaning against the doorframe as I kept my steady gaze locked onto her. "Ah I see..." she said, opening the door, allowing me to enter.

I stepped in to see a dark room, the only light source coming from a fireplace, that warmed the room as it blazed across the wood. "Ah this gives me a lot of nostalgia. I remember the blizzards rushing outside as the fire calmed me and my father. But THIS... this can be even better." I said, turning towards her, a devils smile on my face as she blushed. "You're quite mischievous when you want something aren't you?" She said, folding her arms. "Yeah, but I get a feeling you want the same thing I want right about now." I smirked, taking a seat on the couch near the fire. "And you always do seem to know what I want, don't you?" I raised an eyebrow smiling at her. "Well you're not the most subtle of people..." She joked, sitting next to me as I wrapped a blanket around us. "But that's exactly what I like about you." She finished, kissing my cheek.

"You know, I thought you'd be playing some video games right about now." I said, looking down as my gaze met hers as she rested on my chest. "Yeah but I needed someone to beat, and now I've got the perfect person to play against." She answered, smiling at me. "Oh really? I'll have you know I've been practicing a lot." I said. "Oh finally, now maybe you'll be a challenge!" She laughed, as I frowned. "What?! I almost beat you last time!" I giggled, reminiscing of that day. "It was 56 to 0 before I started to pity you." She quipped, and I furrowed my brows. "No fair! I was still trying to learn the controls!" I defended myself, the excuse still not stopping her ego from inflating even further. She stood up, grabbing two controllers and turning to me. "Oh yeah well now that you have them memorized, ready for a rematch?" She asked, tossing a controller my way. I caught it, smirking at her. "Oh you're going down!" I said, my competitive nature getting the better of me. "That's what you said last time!" She smiled, flipping on the game.

We both sat together as the game started, and I gripped the controller tightly. "Okay. I'm ready this time Hana Song! Get prepared to get "rekt" as you say." I said, and she giggled, before killing me in the game before I could react. "Well that was fast." She laughed. "You're cheating! Your giggle distracted me! You know how that giggle distracts me everytime." I excused my severe lack of skill. She giggled again, and then killed me once again. "Oh come on! Is the controller even on?!" I yelled, before calming myself down. I focused, concentrating solely on the game in front of me. She used the "giggle strategy" as I call it, but I was ready this time. I turned around, beating her to the punch and killed her. "Yeah! How'd that feel?" I celebrated, standing up from the couch. I taunted as I kept up the pressure, killing her everytime she spawned. "Woohoo! Never thought I'd love killing you so much." I said, before her hand grasped my face, and I turned to her. 'What?' I panicked as she leaned in, and I leaned in as well, until we were inches from each other. She then grinned, and killed me in the game. She started to laugh maniacally as I realized that it was a diversion the whole time.

"What?! No fair! You used your... your.." I stuttered, struggling to think of the word. "I didn't know you were so easy to manipulate." She said in between more fits of laughter. "You have officially lost all of my trust! I'm never kissing you again!" I said, over exaggerating just a bit. "Okay, maybe only until after the game!" I corrected myself as she stared at me. I kept trying to focus, but each time she would find a way to distract me, a glance my way, a giggle, a peck on the cheek, a taunt, whatever she did, she found a way to distract me.

I eventually lost all hope of coming out of this situation victorious, and I set the controller down, and she frowned. "I hereby officially surrender to Hana Song. She has bested me time and time again, and a wise man must admit defeat. I shall never challenge her authority ever again." I said, resting my head in my hand as I relaxed into the couch. "I guess you're finally coming to terms with our relationship here. I'm simply unbeatable." She bragged, giggling at the same time. "Yes. Praise the almighty Hana for she is the best." I said sarcastically, and I smiled a bit. "I sense a bit of sarcasm in that sentence there." She said, smiling at me. "Nope, totally sincere." I said, once again sarcasm finding a way into my tone.

"Aww, did I make the big mighty hero Brayden upset?" She mocked, and I sighed as she scooted closer to me, her leg touching my own. "Upset? When I'm with you? Never." I said, using my charm to escape the situation. "Oh, trying to charm me again?" She grinned mischievously at me, and I smiled back. "Oh I think my plans have already worked." We both gave up hiding our true feelings for each other with sarcasm, kissing as the paused game in the background illuminated the room, along with the atmospheric fire. I heard the wind blowing loudly outside, but the fire and warmth in here such a contrast to it, making it impossible to resist.

We both jumped at the sudden noise coming from the intercom, startling us both. We both sat up together as we listened closely. "All agents report to my office for a mission debriefing." Winston said, concern showing in his voice. We both shared a look at each other for a moment. "Did I bite your lip?" Hana asked, looking at my lip. "A bit." I laughed, finding it humorous how she did it unintentionally. "Come on, let's go see what's going on." I said, opening the door as she walked through, and I followed swiftly behind.

Hana and I walked through the hallways, before hearing rapid footsteps approaching. We turned around to see Genji running to Winston's office. I stopped him with my hand, and he looked at me. "Genji! What's going on?" I asked, concerned about what made him so worried. "It's Nepal, Vishkar Corporation are trying to buy the land from them. And if they don't comply, they'll take it by force." He answered, before sprinting down his original path. Hana and I exchanged a few worried glances before running off as well.

We took our seats in his office, and I could hear a worried Genji speaking with his former mentor Zenyatta in a concerned tone. Most of the agents arrived quickly, and they all took their seats patiently waiting for the info about the newest mission. "This must be big if he's calling everyone down." I muttered to myself, to which Hana nodded in response. It was a rare occasion that we were all called down for a debriefing.

"Ahem, my fellow agents, we have recently received multiple incoming messages from Nepal, as the omnics there and their peaceful ways are being threatened, as Vishkar Corp. wishes to buy the land. Or if need be, take it by force." Winston said, before continuing. "The deal so far has been declined by the omnics multiple times, but Vishkar doesn't take no for an answer too often."

"Well, what's the big plan to stop them?" I inquired, and Winston adjusted his glasses before answering my question, pulling up a holographic layout of the land. "For that, we are still trying to figure out. They have the building surrounded..." he said, pointing to a few parts of the map. "And the only way is to come from here as they have walled off any other entrances." He said, pointing to a rather steep mountain that led to the building.

"Well how are we going to get down there? If we all attack from the same place, we'll be massacred." Angela asked, and other agents agreed. Winston scratched at his chin, deep in thought as everyone else talked amongst themselves. I smiled as an idea came to mind.

"Wait just a minute." I said, raising my hand, all attention falling on me. "So if you say the only likely entry point is here, just below the mountain, what if we descended down the mountain, catching them off guard, and getting around most forces, and then drive them back?" I asked, and Winston thought for a moment. "In theory yes. But how would we descend from the mountains safely?" He asked.

"Hey Lena, remember a year ago when we all went snowboarding?" I asked, and she nodded, fond of the memories made there. "Well I was thinking, a small strike team descends down the mountain, rushing towards the main entrance while the rest of us hold them off, and then push them off the land." I said, and a few agents agreed.

"Now of course I'll lead the strike team, and I'll bring a few agents." I said, continuing. "I'll only be bringing the ones who I know can snowboard. So Lena, up here, Lucio you too, Angela, you." She looked at me odd, confused. "But I-" She protested. "I know, but we need you in case of any injuries on the way down. Don't worry, I hold your hand the whole way down to keep you safe." I assured her, and she nodded.

"But what about me? I went snowboarding with you guys." Hana asked, irritated I didn't pick her. "I know, but you'll be the distraction to allow this whole plan to occur. You'll be infiltrating first, and draw them out, and lead them to the main team, and then we'll come down from the mountain, and boom. Mission accomplished." I looked around the room, and back to Winston, who nodded in agreement. "Alright, everyone know their roles?" I asked. Everyone nodded. "Then let's do this."

A few hours later...

I stepped out of the plane, the snow blasting into my face as hard as the cold air with it. It was so loud I could barely hear anyone speaking. "Alright, everyone ready?" I asked through the communication device. "Strike team ready." Jack answered. "I'm ready too." Hana said. "Alright, let's get this done. Everyone stay safe. Good luck." I said, before I started to strap into my snowboarding gear, placing my goggles on my face, wearing a completely different uniform due to the weather. My winter coat was black and red, along with my pants, and my goggles were black but covered in snow.

I turned around, everyone with me in similar gear, confidence shining in their eyes. Except for Angela, who was horribly scared of heights, let alone inexperienced in this sort of thing. She looked my way, fear evident in her face. I walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, hoping to assure her. "You're gonna be fine Angela. I've got you." I said. "For some reason that scares me more." She responded, and Lucio laughed. "Nah, trust me, he'll get ya through here, he's pretty good at it." Lucio defended me. "We've got you luv." Lena finished, grinning wildly.

"I've brought them to the strike team, we're engaged but holding them off. You guys better get here fast though, there's too many of them for us to handle for long." Hana said, gunfire sounding behind her. "Don't worry, it's me remember?" I joked, and she giggled. "That's what I'm worried about." She responded. "Alright we're on our way." I said, before getting ready to descend down the steep cliff.

"Lucio! I'll race ya!" Lena said, playfully nudging him. He smirked. "Oh you're on!" He said, before they raced off down the mountainside, laughing as they sped downhill. That only worsened Angela's fear as I grabbed her hand gently, calming her down. I started to slide down hill, but quite slowly, purposely causing friction to stop me. I turned back, and Angela nodded at me.

I then held her hand tight, speeding down the hill, Angela screaming the whole way down. I laughed, finding it fun as the snow kicked up around me as the wind blew into my face. "Angela, calm down, its fun! Open your eyes!" I said. "How'd you know they were closed?" She asked, as I dodged a tree. "Just a guess. Come on, it's fun!" I said, and she sighed. Her grip started to loosen as she calmed down, her screams turning to light laughs as her breathing slowed. "Ah, this is fun!" She yelled, and I nodded, closely dodging a rock, making a sharp left turn. "Told ya so! If ya spread your arms, it's like you're flying!" I demonstrated, laughing as I held her hand up along with mine. We both laughed as the mountain carried us down the steep path, the wind flowing through our hair.

The descent downhill became less and less steep as we sped down it, the conflict going on down below becoming more and more clear as the horizon was filled with gunfire. "Brayden, where are you, we need back up. These guys are putting up more of a fight than anticipated." Pharah asked, as I looked at her firing from above. "Cheers luv! The calvarys here!" I yelled, as we flew into the battle at high speeds. "Oi! That's my line!" Lena yelled.

We slowed down as the hill came to a stop, and we got out of our gear quickly, before entering the fight. We caught them off guard as all forces were directed at them, as we cut off the incoming reinforcements. "Sorry we're late!" I yelled. "Bout damn time!" Mcree said. I dodged a bullet, before kicking a man in the face. "Aww, don't be such a sour puss." I said, sweeping the leg of another man, before burning him. Lena blinked around them, distracting them as I charged head first, Lucio off supporting the others. Angela stayed close to me, her Caudeus Staff ready. I grabbed a man, flinging him overhead as Mcree shot him. Reinhardt charged into them, taking about five for a bumpy ride. Jack gave me suppressing fire, grabbing their attention, while I took them out from behind.

Our teamwork was able to destroy any major threats. Our training together bringing us not only close as a family, but also in combat, communication not needed as we knew what to do. Lucio skated along a wall, before pushing them off a cliff down the mountain. I blocked oncoming bullets from hitting Bastion, and he then mowed down the hostiles in front of me. I grinned as he beeped happily, giving me a thumbs up as we kept the pressure up, most of the Vishkar forces retreating back to their planes, as we took out the rest.

We all grouped back up after the battle, observing our good work as we all caught our breath, all of us quite tired. I looked around the group, as everyone was her and accounted for, except for Hana. "Where's Hana?!" I asked, as they all searched for her. "Hana? Can you hear me? Respond!" I said into the communication device in my ear, growing worried before she finally picked up, her breathing short and raspy.

"I'm pinned down, my mech isn't responding, they have me surrounded! They are- ah!" She groaned as I heard gunfire nearing her. "They're trying to push me off the hill, I can't eject, I won't make it if I do." She said, worry in her voice. "Don't worry love. We're coming, just hold on!" I said, before sprinting off in her tracker's direction, followed by everyone else. 'How'd we lose her?!' I questioned, not wanting to face the possible consequences of my carelessness. My muscles burned as my breathing became short and desperate, but I forced myself to keep going, the thought of losing her too much to bare. "Come on! We've gotta get her!" I yelled to the rest of them, my legs slowly giving out on me.

I neared her position, multiple Vishkar agents shooting at her, her mech giving out as it sparked and caught fire. "I've got to eject!" She screamed, and I watched as she flipped out of it, as they focused fire on her. She took a shot to the leg, falling to her knees, before slipping off the cliff as the forced her back. "No!" I yelled, jumping off the cliff for her without a second thought, the rest of my team taking care of the Vishkar goons.

I straightened myself out, using my knowledge of skydiving and aerodynamics to speed up, plummeting to the ground after her, reaching out to grab her. I rapidly approached the ground and the rocks below us, just barely grabbing her arm and pulling her into me, turning myself around to take most of the damage from the fall. She had a look of fear on her face as I smiled warmly at her, before colliding into the ground below us, as we tumbled violently down the steep hill. I did my best to keep her on top of me, trying my best to keep her safe from harm. 'You know, this reminds me of our first date.' I thought to myself. 'Really?! That's what we are thinking about now?!' I responded, the pain of sharp rocks entering my spine making me yell in agony.

My eye widened in fear as we approached the end of the hill, leading to the hard ice below us. I reached my hand out, rapidly grabbing at any solid surface I could find, desperate to stop our descent into the ice. My left hand grabbed mostly snow, before getting caught on a rock, holding us just above the ice. Hana was in my right hand, hanging below me, my grip tight on her hand. I looked down, my fear of heights not helping as the rocks crumbled in my hands, and I pulled Hana up, placing her on the rocks above to keep her safe from anymore falling. My shoulders ached as my arms grew tired, my hand slipping on the cold hard rock holding me. I gasped as I heard it start to crack, giving out under my weight. Hana tried to reach out to me, but it was too late as the rocks crumbled in my hands, and gravity took me.

My stomach churned as the falling made my adrenaline pump, as Hana yelled my name as I fell, my hands desperately clawing for something to stop the fall. My back collided with the hard ice, and I heard an audible crack, and I was unable to determine if it was my bones or the ice holding me. My entire body ached as I slowly inhaled, the action hurting my lungs as the cold air filled them. Hana quickly dropped safely down the hill, landing near me, her eyes widened as she looked at me.

"Oh hey, funny seeing you here." I joked, my voice raspy as my breathing was short, my smile hurting as much as the fall. She ignored it, making sure I was okay as she checked for any internal bleeding. "I'm fine really, just a little tumble is all." I said, before frowning as I noticed a cut under her left cheek. I reached my hand up, wiping the fresh blood away. "Sorry I didn't stop that cut from happening." I apologized. She smiled at me, rolling her eyes. "You've got more to worry about than that." She replied, taking my hand off her cheek.

"Like what?" I asked, as she motioned to my legs. Or what was left of them, the bones of my legs completely popped out of place and broken, my legs horribly mangled. My eye widened as the shock from the fall wore off, and I soon felt the immense pain from the "tumble" as I put it. I could feel the blood rushing out of my back onto the cold ice, a new red color coating the once clear ice. I started to panic, a familiar plane hovering overhead as it landed nearby, everyone pouring out from the hatch.

Angela was the first, her natural motherly instincts kicking in as she assessed my injuries, her blue eyes slightly panicked as she looked at my legs, and ripping off my jacket. Hana gasped along with a few others, as even Angela couldn't hide her shock from the sight. I looked down, my chest covered in blood as my rib cage was fractured in multiple places, and Angela started to stitch the major bleeding areas back up immediately.

"Hana are you okay?" Jack asked, looking at her, and she nodded in response, her only wound the cut under her eye and some minor bruises. "How'd you come out okay?" Lena asked, and she smiled, looking at me. "Well Mr. Hero over here saved me." She answered. "I... did not." I replied, coughing horrendously as Angela kept stitching. "You should've seen it, he smiled at me as he held me above him, taking all of the fall." She smiled, shaking her head. I smiled warmly back at her.

"Aww." Mcree teased, the southern drawl making it obviously him. I shot him a glare, growling slightly. "I will end-ahh!" My threat was interrupted by my yelp in pain, making it much less intimidating than it was supposed to be. "Try to keep still." Angela ordered, and I did as she asked. "...That is pretty cute though." She finished, smirking as I clenched my fist.

Hana sighed, lowering her gaze. "This is my fault. I made a mistake, got sloppy, they caught me off guard. It's my fault you're hurt..." she said, saddened as she blamed herself. I moved my blood covered hand to hers, gripping it gently, rubbing my thumb across the back of her hand gently. "It's not-" I coughed, before continuing. "-your fault." I assured her, trying to smile at her.

She smiled at me as I grinned happily at her, my face bright despite my dangerous situation. Angela sighed, content with her work as she smiled a bit. "Well, other than a fractured femur and rib cage, along with a possible ruptured lung, you're fine." She said, before ordering they started to pick me up, carrying me down to the plane.

I sat uncomfortably in the med bay, my body wrapped heavily in bandages and stitches, my wounds not hurting as bad as before due to some heavy painkillers and medicine. Hana sat by my side, along with Lena, as I asked for some company. I hated being alone, my thoughts still sometimes interrupted by flashbacks of France, scaring me. We all chatted as the plane flew back home, my thoughts on what Hana said back there. 'Mr. hero huh?' I thought. 'Guess that's my new nickname. Still not as good as little bunny.' I thought to myself, not realizing I was smirking until it was too late.

"What's so funny?" Hana asked, and I snapped back to the conversations we had, looking at her. "Oh nothing, just the nickname ya gave me. 'Mr hero? I like it." I said, laughing. She giggled. "It's still not as bad as little bunny!" She defended her naming skills. Lena frowned, confused at the names she had never heard before suddenly popping up. "Wait what?! Little bunny? What's that all about?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just a little nickname I came up with on our mission together at the bridge." I explained, as she snorted, before laughter filled the air. "Aww, that's cute and dumb at the same time." She said, her hands covering her mouth as she tried to calm down. Hana and I started to laugh along as the plane speeded off back to base, where I would soon be stuck there in the medical bay for a while. I decided to have fun while I could, knowing full well how annoying it is to be stuck there.


	25. Chapter 25

My time these past few weeks has been spent with Winston trying to find Talon's next move, but so far had come up empty handed. This was supposed to be my last day stuck in the base, and I could soon get back to what I do best. Hana had payed me a few visits, along with a few others, but they couldn't quite quench my thirst for action. My bones had been healing fast due in large part to Angela and our advanced technology, and the pain had subsided in the first few days. I can't help but feel like they are making me stay her longer to hopefully teach me a lesson not to go jumping off of cliffs after Hana, but I'd gladly do it again to keep her safe.

I had my legs up on the desk in Winston office, as he furiously typed away, trying to scrounge up any clues as to what their next move was. I sat lazily with my arms folded, and I looked at what he was doing. My resting was interrupted by a folder slid our way by a familiar metal hand. I turned to see Mcree with a worried look on his face. "Came across this in our mission. Ya might wanna take a look at this." He said, and I frowned, and Winston opened the folder, adjusting his glasses as I eyed it curiously from my chair. Winston's face turned into the same worried look on his face as Mcree, his eyebrows furrowed as he read along.

"What?! That's impossible! This..." he stopped, continuing his reading. "What is it?" I asked, and he turned to me, placing the folder down on the desk. "It's Talon, it's a new operation, called "Fang." They plan to attack all safe houses around the world holding omnic refugees from the streets rendered homeless by the past tensions between human and omnic ever since France, with the E-54 units being rebuilt in secret. If they are able to see this plan through, we are going to be plunged into another omnic crisis!" Winston yelled, and I frowned, scared of what could happen if they do this successfully. "Well then let's stop it!" I simply said, standing up from my chair.

"Let's round up everyone and use our planes to evacuate all refugees from the safe houses before they attack. We can get them to some place safe before it's too late. We can send about 2-3 agents down to the buildings housing them and take them away." I explained my plan, hoping to stop this from ever happening.

Winston simply nodded, and Mcree went to go round everyone up, as we made our way down to the hangar to meet them all there.

We were all in the hangar, our teams being picked. I frowned in confusion as everyone avoided picking me, even Lena and Hana. I simply sat in awe as I was left standing by as they loaded up on the planes. "Wait up! What about me?! I'm coming too right?!" I asked, and Angela stepped out of the plane with her team. "You can't, this may be your last day, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. Besides, we need someone to watch the base in case of emergency." She said, and I frowned, growing angry at her decision.

"You can't just expect me to stand by while you are out saving the world from certain demise! I'm coming with! Look, I'm fine! I'm completely capable of taking care of myself in a situation, and my powers are back and better than ever! I can walk, I can run, I can do anything! This is insane to just leave me behind! This is the biggest mission we've had in years, and you expect me sit on my ass and watch? I'm sorry, but I'm coming with!" I insisted, picking up my bag full of gear I brought with me before being told I couldn't come.

I stepped onto the plane with Hana and Lena as Angela sighed, probably wishing I wasn't so stubborn. "Look mom, I know you care, but I can't just watch. You have to trust me." I said over the communications device as the hatch closed, my rage dying down as my voice became more calming and soothing. I heard her reluctant sigh before her voice sounded in my ear. "Just stay safe. I don't want to have you get hurt and it be my fault." She said, and I understood her worries as we lifted off, our planes heading separate directions as we went to go evacuate the omnics. "I understand, but what hero would I be if I didn't save the world?" I chuckled, as I heard her laugh in response. "Okay, everyone stay safe and let's get this done." She said to everyone this time, before turning off the comms device.

I took a seat by Lena in the copilot seat as Hana stood in the cockpit. We sat in silence for a while, simply calming our nerves as we neared our destination. "So... saving the world as always?" I asked, smiling as I reclined in my seat while I could before the mission. "Yeah, no pressure." Lena said sarcastically, and I laughed.

"Well, it's not too bad right? Take out a few agents, evacuate the omnics successfully, stop the bombs, expose Talon, save the world from utter chaos. No worries." I joked, and Hana rolled her eyes, leaning against my chair. "Well, no one said this would be easy." She said, and I nodded, scratching my chin.

"Well, let's go save the world." I said, before standing up as we landed at our destination, softly touching the ground as I stepped out. We were stationed in the one in London, which made me feel more calm and nervous at the same time. On one hand this is my home basically, and the other is these are people I have watched over during the years as a vigilante. I sighed, the streets not very crowded due to it being very late at night, the street lamps our only source of light as we walked down the lonely streets. We walked at a fairly fast pace, after all many innocent lives depended on us getting there quickly.

Our destination was a slightly worn down building, but with its own charm as its friendly lights illuminating from inside gave it a feeling of warmth, contrasting with the snow and cold winter winds outside. The place looked relatively calm and safe, no sign of any problems. That feeling of safety was replaced with a feeling of uncertainty as I noticed a presence nearby, shadows creeping along the rooftop. I quickly started to climb up the wall, it's unsafe structure and poor brick placement helping me get a foothold as I reached the top.

My eye widened as I noticed two agents descending down the side of the building, a bomb planted on the roof. I sprinted over to where I saw them, only for them to have completely disappeared. The bomb neared its detonation as I jumped back down, breaking down the door to the safe house. The refugees looked in horror as they backed up from me.

"Everybody get-"

The explosives detonated as I was blown back, the omnics inside disintegrating as the building collapsed on top of them, and I flew back into the hard concrete ground. I groaned, grabbing my head as a familiar ringing in my ears appeared. I analyzed my surroundings, the smoke clouding my vision as I coughed, slowly standing up, surprisingly only sustaining minor injuries. I looked to my right, Lena and Hana both covered in debris, the smoke covering them.

I quickly ran to their side, desperately pulling the heavy bricks from them, as I pulled Lena out successfully, and I checked her pulse, as her vital signs were okay, her breathing normal. An exasperated sigh of relief escaped my lips as I went to Hana, her mech crushed, the glass in front of her cracked. I pulled the bricks off one by one, my muscles straining as I groaned, struggling to remove her. I elbowed the glass in front of her, breaking it as I leaned in to pull her out.

I turned around, a peculiar sound coming from behind me as I soon realized I wasn't alone, completely surrounded by agents, but they looked much different. More advanced, almost inhuman, their red eyes peering out at me from the darkness. I quickly readied myself for a fight, as I stood my ground as they unnaturally charged my way all together, no communication, as if they all worked as one. Fear entered my heart as I fired at them, the flames burning a few of them as they kept pushing forward, no fear as their fellow friends died. My eye widened as some only ran my way, animal like claws on their hands, as some fired at me with weapons, I blocked the bullets, before the others slashed my legs, and I yelled in agony as they pierced my flesh, snarling at me. My blood ran down my pants as more charged my way, as I fired once again, successfully stopping them as they fell down dead as the rest continued firing, most bullets hitting me, their aim much more accurate, hitting me in my arteries as I fell down, my blood flowing down the brick road, my blood filling the cracks with a chilling sight.

I struggled to stand back up, my teammates still unconscious from the blast, as my leg burned, the feeling of something unnatural flowing through my veins like a poison. I pushed through the pain, charging into the rest of them, ready to burn them all. I flipped over their gun fire, landing behind them as I raised my hands, the fire crackling in my hands as I prepared to fire, before a metallic hand stopped it, before smacking me back into a building, the bricks crumbling like sand. I slink down to the ground, my blood soaking my gear as I groaned again, raising my head slowly, curious as to what inhumanly strong force knocked me back. My eye was met with a robot designed in a way I had never seen before. It was dark black, almost invisible in this kind of light, designed after a human with its skeletal structure, its limbs skinny as its head was shaped like an oval. It lacked a mouth, only slim dark red eyes staring back at me.

It slowly walked my way, its footsteps loud and thundering, cracking the cement as it's weight crushed the ground, before its hand met my throat, before picking me up off the ground with ease, my legs kicking as I scrambled for something to stop it, as I clawed at its strong arms, it's dead eyes unwavering or blinking as it simply stared. I gasped for breath as it's cold hands crushed my windpipe, my mind running wild with thoughts as I looked behind him as my friends still sat there. "Release him."

The robot released me, as I fell down to the cold hard ground as it then stepped backwards, revealing none other than Reaper himself. "What've you... done?" I muttered, my voice weak as my head ached like never before. He chuckled, turning back to the men, or should I call them creatures behind him. "What, this lot? Oh, just figured we could use a few upgrades. And it's been a long time coming. It's been years that this has been in development, and now, it's finally becoming a reality. We will be reigning in a new era. And it will of course be built from the ground up over your dead bodies." He explained, seeming overjoyed with the pain and chaos he will be unleashing upon the world.

"Don't do this... you'll be destroying civilization as we know it... you can't-" I tried to convince him before he raised his hand, silencing me. "Destroying, no. I'll be saving the world, from it's so called heroes." He said, walking away, motioning for the agents with him to follow, before turning to the robot towering over me. "Kill him, and please do make it as painful as you wish."

It nodded, making an audible beep before picking me up once again, it's cold hand wrapping tightly around my neck, cutting off my supply of oxygen. I struggled against him, but it's pure strength overpowered me, slamming me into the wall behind me, then throwing me across the street. I landed painfully on the ground, my hand resting near Lena as her eyes slowly opened, as she gazed into my eyes as it picked me up once again, slamming me into the ground repeatedly.

She stood up, dazed as she pulled out her guns, Hana starting to wake up as well, her mech standing up. They fired at it, as it dropped me, falling backwards as it stumbled, regaining its balance. It walked towards them, taking every bullet fired at it, still walking slowly at them. I crawled over to it, using my hands to regain my balance as I winced in pain as I stood, slowly nearing it. I used all my anger in one motion, heading straight for a weak point in its back, my fist smashing into it as my fingers gripped any wiring I could find, ripping them out of their sockets. It turned to me, raising its fist to punch me, before it's eyes dimmed, before flickering off and collapsing to the ground.

I fell to my knees in exhaustion, gasping for air as I collapsed in pain, groaning. They ran to my side, helping me stand up as I leaned in their shoulders. "Come on you guys, we've gotta hurry, we can stop the other ones from being destroyed if we-"

I was cut off as explosions in the distance sounded, the ground rumbling as the flames flew high into the night sky, the city being engulfed in flames as the buildings collapsed. I stared in complete shock as the flames lit up the dark sky, illuminating the streets below as the sirens of police cars neared us. I lowered my head in mourning, losing all of those innocent lives in the blink of an eye. "Let's get out of here..." I muttered, limping over with them as my blood boiled in anger, a need for revenge bright in my mind. 'Believe me, he will pay for what he had done, blood for blood.'

A few hours later...

We all gathered in the meeting room in silence, our heads lowered as we all failed our missions in some way. Some of the civilians were evacuated, but most died in the explosions across the world, the news outlets reporting on the events live as chaos broke out in the streets, rioting happening as omnics and rights activists blamed people against omnics for the horrid crimes committed. We soon became a divided world as everyone took a side, hating the other for the wrong reasons. Talon won, they have officially started a war we can't finish. I sat with my head in my hands, Hana and Lena beside me as we grieved, our failure still fresh in our minds.

No one had spoke for over few minutes, letting the silence fill the empty void in our hearts. I finally stood, anger driving me to the brink of complete and utter disarray. "I know that we all failed, and that we didn't save enough of them. I know that we may have lost the battle this time. But they didn't win the war! I'm sick of Talon always beating us to the punch." I yelled, slamming my fist on the table. Everyone's attention was placed upon me.

"Let's kick them in the balls first for a change." Mcree said, anger evident in his eyes. "I'm with Jesse, anyone know where they're hiding?" I looked around, my eye scanning the room for anyone to speak up. Angela raised her hand, standing up as I directed my sights at her. "I.. I was able to place a tracker on their plane as they left. If we follow it quickly, we may be able to trace it back to their hideout, or their main base of operations." She stated, her gaze lowered to her feet as I nodded. "And that may just be where they're making all of these upgrades to their men. Good work Angela, you thought of everything." I said, trying to comfort her. She shook her head. "No. I didn't... we lost those people."

"Their lives will be repayed, a thousand fold." I said, looking around. Winston stood up, sadness still in his eyes as he did so. "I'll try and track them, see if I can find their base. Hopefully we can change this." He stated, walking off towards his office. "Good." I muttered. "Maybe we can. Everyone get so rest, it's been a long day. We shall mourn tonight, but then, we have to get payback." I said, before walking down to my room.

An hour later...

Winston had eventually traced them, saying it over the intercom, still sadness apparent in his voice. We were supposed to assault they're base tomorrow night, hoping to catch them by surprise.

I sat alone in the darkly lit room as I fiddled with my mask, fixing a crack in the glass on my eye. Lena had went off to comfort Angela, as she seemed pretty shaken up. It was pretty late at night, sleep not on my mind as I remembered my failure, regret filling the moment as I kept my hands busy with my gear. My door opened, Hana stepping in as I only glanced at her, before continuing fixing the crack. She folded her arms, leaning against the wall near the couch.

"Can't sleep?" She said, more of a statement rather than a question. I shook my head, frowning. "No, you?" I asked, looking up at her, worry in my eye. "No, I guess the mission shook me up more than I thought. All those lives..." she muttered, stepping towards me. "We'll avenge them." I stated bluntly, sounding harsher than I wanted to. I tossed my mask her way, as she caught it, staring at it in her hands.

"Do you feel ready?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me as I sat on the front of my bed, looking at her. "You first." I said, as she smiled. "Fair enough." She said, looking down. "What I want is for this whole thing to end while there is still a world left to save." She said. "Think it might get that bad?" I asked, my gaze meeting hers. "It's what happened with the first crisis, it may happen again. And although Jack is technically in charge, we're all counting on you to see us through this. It must be overwhelming." She said, walking closer to me.

"How do you prepare for something like this?" I asked, worried, as she then sat down next to me. "Well, you make a few pep talks, sacrifice, and win until we realize we have someone worth following." She joked, as I chuckled. "You think so?" I asked. "I do honestly." She stated, as we both leaned back, as she took my hand in her own.

"But it would be easy for us to leave it all behind and get lost in the stars, wouldn't it?" She asked, gazing into my eye, her smile making me feel warm. "Yeah, it would." I said, dreaming of what it would be like if we lived a normal life, just simply together, no responsibility, no world depending on us, just simply being with each other. "Just find some place we could live together up there, in peace, and happiness." She continued, as I leaned over to kiss her cheek, before sitting up, sighing lightly.

"Yeah, but right about now, there's no place I'd rather be." I said, as she blushed, as I became lost in her eyes, unconsciously leaning in again, as we stared in wonder at each other. "Neither would I." She said, as we kissed once more, my hand meeting her waist. We broke, our foreheads resting together as our gaze stayed on each other. "I love you Brayden." She said, as my heart skipped a beat, surprised she said that. I smiled. "I love you too Hana." I said. She smiled at me warmly, before it morphed into a devious grin. "Show me." She said, as we then kissed, falling down together on the bed as our hands explored each other's bodies.

I was glad she came here, as her presence calmed me, silencing the bad thoughts and memories, replacing them with thoughts about her, making me at ease. I enjoyed her for the time being, keeping my mind off the worries for the future of the world and Overwatch, only focused on her.


	26. Chapter 26

Author's Note

This along with another few chapters will be the last, as I feel I have reached the climax of the story (after this chapter) and I am simply running out of ideas. I'm sad to see my very first story coming to a close, but I figure it's for the best for me to move on. I'm glad with how the story came out and I have few regrets. I don't want to become an author who ends up milking the story just because they are too afraid to end it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and the last few chapters, and I hope to see you in another one of my stories in the future. Bye for now!

My eye snapped open in a jolt as I awoke in my bed, Hana's arm casually draped across me chest as she slept beside me. I smiled as she unknowingly smiled at the same time. 'Hope she had a better dream than mine.' I thought, shaking slightly as my mind flashed back to it. I sat up, gently placing Hana's arm down as I started to stand up, careful not to wake her up. I wanted her to rest, as we have a big mission tonight, and it may possibly be our last time together. I shook the thought off, as thinking like that is what will make us lose. I didn't bother to turn on the tv as it would simply be news reports on my failure, and reopen old wounds. I awoke at a much later time than usual, it almost being noon. But I figured that was a good thing, just less time to think about what could go wrong, and time to simply wait for the time being.

I walked out of the door, my mind set on the plans as my feet led me to Winston's office. My thoughts were running around in circles around my head, going back and forth as uneasiness took hold, my mind worried about the consequences of failure today, and what's at stake, the stress getting to me as I chose not to even try to completely comprehend them. The hallways were unusually quiet, most people keeping to themselves as they prepared themselves mentally and physically for what's in store. It will take all of us to work together to even come close to stopping their new army.

I entered his office, walking up the stairs leading to him. I hoped to catch him at the right time to figure out a plan. He was studying blueprints of the base we planned to infiltrate, his hand stroking his chin as he pondered. His head snapped up, his eyes lighting up as he recognized me, a smile coming to his lips. "I assume you've found something good?" I asked, as he nodded excitedly, telling me to order all agents here to go over our plan.

A few minutes later...

"Athena, bring up your scans." I said, a holographic image appeared, modeling the base, its paths and hallways built like a maze, complex and confusing, some hallways leading to dead ends, as if to trap any intruders. "You should be able to make override their systems in the central chamber here." She responded, an arrow appearing, pointing to the center of the base. "That's through the heart of the chamber, right past the most heavily guarded place in there." Jack pointed out, as I looked at it.

"But that means it's heavily guarded for a reason. If I'm correct, that may be where they are converting these agents into what we saw in our last mission." Angela spoke up, a bit of hope in her voice.

"There are two main routes, both leading to the center. It might be a good idea to split up to keep them off balance, then regroup there." Ana suggested, and I nodded agreeing. "No good, see those doors, the only way to open them is from the inside." Lena interrupted, pointing at the hologram. "It's not impenetrable, there's gotta be a way inside." I said, leaning against the table with my hands. I studied it, before a peculiar part of the building caught my attention. "Maybe we can send someone through this ventilation shaft." I said, zooming in on it.

"This is going to be dangerous. I volunteer." Pharah said, straightening herself out, looking straight at me. "I appreciate the thought, but you wouldn't be able to pass the firewall in time. We need a tech expert." Jack said, looking to me for a choice for who was going to be sent in. "Winston, you can hack anything, you may not be small, but you'll fit." I said, as he nodded. "I won't let you down." He promised. "I know." I said in response.

"The rest of us will split up, and keep them off of you while you get through." I said, as Jack stood up, walking towards me. "I'll lead the second strike team. We'll meet you on the other side of those doors." He said, as I placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding at him, grateful.

"I won't lie to you, I don't know what we'll find in there. This may be the end, for you, for me, for anyone. But I know for a fact, this is the end of whatever they are doing. We are stopping this, no matter what sacrifices we make. Talon has ruined countless lives, taking even more in those explosions, but the thing is. Not one more. They think they've won, but let's show them exactly what we're made of. On our terms." I looked around, all of them nodding and smiling, loyal, ready to follow me into hell and back, my family. "Well." I shrugged. "Let's go save the world."

A few hours later...

We landed near the base, hidden in the deep snow and the mountains, a perfect place to hide their deep secrets from the world. We snuck inside, its hallways built like a hive, creeping me out in a way. I was with Lena, Hana, Mcree, Reinhardt, Angela, Pharah, Genji, and Hanzo as we walked through, not really worried about being sneaky as the size of it allowing you to make as much noise as you wanted without alerting the base. Everyone kept their weapons drawn, their footsteps quick and quiet, as I led them through, ready for anything.

"No obstruction in sight so far, proceeding as planned." I heard Winston say over the comms device. "Same here, stay safe everyone." Jack said, before continuing onward into the deep hallways, its winding corners and rooms making me uncomfortable as I made my way through.

I held my hand up, signaling for them to stop as I spotted a few agents, their weapons in hand. Their heads unnaturally snapped our way, as if expecting us. "They've seen us." Mcree said, before firing, taking a few out. I got into cover, a barrage of bullets coming our way. "Reinhardt, stay here while me and Genji flank around." I ordered, as his shield popped up, blocking the bullets before they hit the agents behind him.

We snuck around successfully, coming up from behind as we attacked, Genji slicing into them. I tackled one, burning him, before one jumped on my back, his weapon not in his hands any longer. I struggled, holding his hands as they desperately tried to escape to grasp me. He neared me, his eyes an unnatural red, sunken into his skull, looking like a skeleton. My arms started to give out, before an arrow struck him in the head, as he collapsed onto me. I threw him off, nodding to Hanzo as thanks, before we continued down the hallway.

"Jack here, we're moving forward but we're taking heavy fire." He informed me. "Okay, we're moving ahead. How about you Winston?" I asked, as he grunted. "There is a door blocking my path, there may be a way to open it from the other side. I looked around, a control center catching my eye. I could see Winston in the vents, them being slightly transparent. "Just use that control panel there." He pointed, as I started to open it. "How ya holding up?" I asked, as he wiped away sweat on his face. "Besides being incredibly hot in here, I'm fine." He answered, and I chuckled. "Don't worry, we're almost there." I replied, as he smiled, before moving forward.

"We're in position, just waiting for the doors to open. We'll hold them off for now." Jack said, gunfire sounding around him as he did so. "Alright, we're on our way." I replied, ducking behind Reinhardt's shield as enemies fired at me. "Don't worry my friend, I am your shield!" He yelled, excitement clear in his voice. "I think you're enjoying this a little too much." Hana said, firing at the agents in cover.

We were pinned down by enemy reinforcements, the only way forward was behind them, and they didn't make it easy to get to it. These men feared nothing, not even death, as if all survival instinct was replaced with nothing. I shielded the others whenever Reinhardt's own gave out, as I depended on them to finish them off as I couldn't flank them or get close.

"I'm near the door; I'm coming down to help you." Winston said, but before I could stop him, he crashed through the glass, landing on top of them as he roared, slamming them into the ground. I charged down there to help him, taking out a few of my own. I picked one up by the throat, throwing him near Winston, before he caught him mid air, before thrashing him about on the ground.

He calmed down as no reinforcements arrived, placing his glasses back on. "Remind me not to get in your bad side." I joked, running forward to the door, Winston behind me. He quickly got to the doors, starting to open them as I radioed Jack, making sure he was okay. "Jack! We're opening the doors, are you all okay?" I asked. "Just get the door open!" He ordered. "Winston that door better be open!" I yelled, as he grunted. "Done!"

The doors opened, incoming fire whizzing past my ear, as I rolled to the side, everyone else falling behind. "Get support on the door, get them inside!" I ordered, as we all lined up, firing back at the seamlessly endless amount of agents. "Hold them back!" I yelled, firing back at them. Jack and the others fell back behind the door, as Winston quickly shut it on the rest of the Talon agents.

We all sighed, hands on our knees as we rested for a moment. "Angela! Patch the wounded up." I said, as she nodded, walking over to them. I looked at the rest, nodding. "Everyone else okay?" I asked, concerned. "We're okay." Jack said. "Brayden, you may wanna take a look at this." I heard Hana say.

I walked over to her, gasping as I found people stuck in pods, dead, tubes leading from the pods to the center of the base. I frowned, stepping closer, analyzing them. "They're keeping their own men captive? Why?" I asked. I frowned, confused at this action. The man in the pod eyes snapped open, his eyes filled with shock as needles emerged from the tube, entering his neck, as he started to twitch in an unsettling manner. His eyes then turned into the red color of the other agents we came across, clawing into the pod at me. "My god. They're changing them, injecting them with something, it's changing them." I turned to everyone behind me. "Get them out of here! Now!" I yelled, not caring if they were the enemy. This was a fate much worse than death.

We rushed to save them, smashing open the pods, but to no use, as the glass wouldn't budge, holding against even our greatest hits. We were forced to watch as they were indoctrinated in front of us, the fear in their eyes haunting me as they were changed. "We have to stop this. This is..." Lena muttered, trailing off. I turned to Winston, concern in my eye. "Do you have any idea what those tubes lead to?" I asked, pointing to the tubes that led through the dark hallways. "No, nothing like this showed in the blueprint. I have no idea." He shook his head, wondering how it never came up.

"Are we gonna follow them?" Angela asked. "I don't know what else to do. This leads to the center, and no matter what we find, we can shut this place down from the inside. Then we get out as quick as possible. Any escape plans?" I asked, as everyone shrugged. "I guess we're gonna have to run back through the hallways and hope we can get out in time." I said, the plan making me worried about our chances of a successful escape. One of us may need to hold them off, or sacrifice ourselves. I shook the worrisome thoughts off, hoping it doesn't come down to that.

"We're gonna need another team to hold the rest of the agents back before they get through the door. I'll lead another team to the heart of the facility, and shut it down." I sighed, before continuing. "If I say leave, and we're not there, you have to go. If you stay we all die. I don't plan for that to happen, but it may. This is it. Everything we've ever fought for, is all coming down to this. Make me proud, make yourselves proud, and know no matter what happens, we've had a damn good ride, and I'm glad I could be a part of it." I said, smiling as I saluted them. They all saluted back, each and everyone of them ready to do what it takes.

"Let's get this done. Hoorah!" I yelled, as they repeated the same word, their voices echoing throughout the long halls.

We walked through the hallways, following the tubes to the center of the base. I was with a small team, only a few agent with me. Lucio, Lena, Hana, Mcree, Jack, and Angela were to only ones with me. I smiled, reminiscing of the times I had with everyone, finding it oddly funny that we were in such a serious situation. The world depended on this getting done.

"I've been scanning for any heat signatures near you. But I've only detected one. Whatever you are nearing, must be massive." Athena said, as I listened closely, confused at what could be there.

My jaw dropped in shock as I stared at what was at the heart of this madhouse, all of the tubes leading to one massive cylinder in the middle. "That looks like what was bumped into those guys we ran into back there." Lucio said, staring wide eyed at it.

My mind flashed to the people trapped in the tubes, their minds corrupted as their thoughts were replaced with animalistic instincts. This explained the reason they moved so spastically and quickly, seemingly crazy actions during battle, not fearing death in any way. We all stared in awe as the cylinder ran to the roof of it, the tubes coming out pumping the liquid inside. "This must be how they are getting the liquid to the tubes." I muttered, inching closer and closer to the tube.

"Not so fast!" I heard a familiar growl come from beside me, Reaper pointing his guns at me. "I'm shutting this place down. The monstrosities you've created, the things you've done to your own people... it's... despicable, unforgivable." I said, walking towards the terminal in front of it. I jumped back as he shot the terminal, sparks flying back. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." He said.

"Give up! You're outnumbered!" I tried to reason with him, hoping there was any human empathy in his heart for him to stop this himself, or die defending it. "That's where you're wrong kid." He said, as agents came pouring in from all sides, surrounding us as we all were at each other's backs, covering all sides. "Well I'm living the dream." Hana said sarcastically. I smirked, leaning my head her way. "You have odd dreams." I joked, before the agents fired on our position.

I shielded us all from the oncoming fire, before letting it go for us to fire back while they reloaded. They started to drop like flies around us, before more took their place, slowly nearing us. I fired back, burning them when the came in range, before blocking enemy fire from hitting Angela behind me. She nodded in thanks before firing at them with her pistol, surprising me with her accuracy. "You do this whole shooting thing a lot?" I asked, burning the ones charging at me when they ran out of ammo. "Sometimes to save a life you must take one." She replied, continuing her streak of kills.

I flipped to Hana, who's mech was taking heavy fire due to its size. One latched onto her, clawing into the metal. I tackled him, before snapping his neck in a simple motion. "Hey! That was my kill!" She complained. I rolled my eyes. "You know, when this is done, we should compare kills." I said, as she nodded in response, firing at the depleting enemy forces. "Boom! Headshot!"

We held our ground, the agents piling up around us as they all fell dead when they got too close. Reaper closed in on us as he realized we defeated his men. "Why must you always mess everything up?!" He yelled in fury and anger as he pulled out his shotguns, aiming them at me. "I could ask you the same question." I said, before blocking it. I grew angry as the spread of the fire grazed my leg, hurting me. I growled, closing the gap between us as I stomped near him. I dodged the multiple shots he fired my way, ducking and dodging his shots as each miss aggravated him more. He held his ground though, not flinching as I tackled him to the ground.

Reaper simply sat there as I punched him, as he didn't resist. I didn't care though, the things he had done were horrible, as he deserved no pity. I stopped for a moment, turning to Angela. "Shut this place down!" I yelled, before punching him again. My punches grew faster and harder, each one chipping a part of the mask off, until it revealed a scarred Gabriel inside. He grinned, the blood seeping from his smile.

I gasped in shock, his face horrifying. His nose was almost completely gone, only leaving a scarred stub in its place. A long scar ran from his left eye down to his right cheek. Part of his left cheek was missing, his teeth visible as only bits of flesh held the two pieces of his cheek together. "Go ahead. Kill me." He said, not hesitating in his words.

Jack was behind me, before nearing him as I stood up, stepping away from the former commander. "What happened to you Reyes?" He asked his old friend, sadness in his voice as he looked down upon him. "Overwatch happened. All of you are responsible for how I am today, and all the lives I've taken as well." Gabriel grinned, his eyes widening as he noticed Jack aim his weapon at him. "Do it. Reyes died long ago. Let me go with him." He almost pleaded, a sadness coming from him I had never heard before.

He aimed down the sights, shaking as he did so. I walked over to the others to make sure they were okay. They all nodded, as Angela shut down the base. I smiled, happy we could head home soon. I talked with Angela, the lights inside the base turning off as the power went off. We planted the bomb on the cylinder to make sure this base's technology is never used again, it's sickening experiments more than I could handle.

"I can't do it. There's too much of a bond we shared for me to completely cut you off." Jack said. "...but I'll do as you want. If you want to, stay here when we detonate the bomb." He offered, choking up slightly as a face he once loved like a brother stared back, only wanting death. I turned around, looking at him as I felt bad for Jack, as killing someone you love isn't easy.

Jack walked off to join us, as I held the detonator in my hands, ready to click as we flew off. "Thank you... but before you go." Gabriel muttered. Jack didn't turn his way, only muttering a "hm." "Something to remember me bye." Gabriel smiled, picking up the gun beside him, setting his sights on Angela. Angela flinched as she prepared to be shot.

My mind panicked as I lacked the time to create a shield to keep her safe. Time slowed down as I pushed Angela to the ground, saving her from certain death, before the bullet entered me instead.

Angela's eyes widened as blood spurted from my chest, directly over my heart, soaking my gear. Fear ran through my mind as blood poured out of my mouth, it's salty taste drowning me. I felt hands wrap around me as I fell to the ground. Hana's eyes were right in front of me, as she yelled my name, all sound drowning out as my vision started to fade. 'Is this what it's like to die?' The thought flashed around my mind. Her comforting hands and words did nothing as searing pain ran through my chest. "You should've killed me when you had the chance." Reaper said, chuckling as he turned into a mist, disappearing. I could hear my pulse quicken as my heart struggled to keep my blood flowing.

"Look at me luv! You're gonna be fine!" I heard Lena's voice crying out to me. I struggled to respond, the air burning my throat as I opened my mouth. "Do-don't... lie to... m-m-me..." I gurgled, my hand reaching her face. Jack's worried eyes met my own eye, guilt apparent in his eyes. "Shit... no." Lucio muttered, running his hands through his hair, panicking. "This is Jack, everyone get out of here for immediate evac, we'll meet you there!" He ordered on the comms device. The last sounds I heard before blacking out were Angela's sobs, my mind in a frenzy as I gasped for breaths of air.

Lena's POV

Jack carried a limp Brayden in his arms as we rushed out of the base, quickly getting to our evac point, heading into the plane. We closed the hatch as it took off, people yelling, worried about Brayden. If I'm being honest he doesn't look good. His chest had a hole in it the size of a fist, with blood pouring out to no end. My thoughts only made me more worried as I tried to focus on flying us to a safe distance before blowing up the base.

"We're at a safe distance. Blow it." I said, before hearing the click of the button, a massive explosion happening behind us, the debris flying into the cold air. Everyone sat near Brayden in the med bay, as I turned on autopilot, before walking over to see how he's doing. I stopped in my tracks as I heard worried yelling and muffled cries coming from inside. Jack was simply in shock, still coming to terms with what happened. I stepped by him, before his hand gripped my own.

"It's my fault, isn't it? I should've seen it coming, I was so worked up about Gabriel I let my emotions get in the way. I had the chance to end this, but instead I got my friend killed." He said, not bothering to look at me. "Don't think like that, he's a resilient kid. He'll make it." I assured him, my confidence a lie as I worried about him. He had survived bad but this was something entirely different. "I'm not naive, he isn't going to make it." Jack mumbled, before I walked off in silence. Everyone else sat near the med bay, Brayden behind closed curtains as Angela operated on him.

I sighed, shaking off a few jitters before stepping in, shaking off my pessimistic thoughts. I slid in the curtains, Angela wiping the sweat away from her brow as she kept working on him, holding back tears. Hana was hurrying, helping Angela in any way she could, like holding him still as he sometimes woke up in pain, his screams enough to make anyone feel bad. Angela turned my way, her eyes widening. "Oh, good! Please, be ready to hold him down in case he wakes up again. I can't have him thrashing about if I'm going to save him." She said. I nodded, gripping his arm, while Hana gripped the other. His one eye snapped open again, fear in it as he realized he was still here.

I tightened my grip, but felt no resistance. "Just... l-let me... g-go..." He pleaded, pain in every word he said. "Don't talk like that! You're not leaving me alone!" Hana yelled, fury piercing through her tone. He sighed, or more of choked, as he relaxed again. "I r-r-really fucked it up t-this time... d-d-did-didn't I my dear?" He tried to smile as he joked, only groaning in pain as cut into his skin to remove the bullet lodged in his chest. "Aaaaaahhhhhrrrrrgggghhhh!" He yelled, his screams shaking the table he was on, before he fainted once again.

Angela sighed in relief as she removed the bullet, before immediately wrapping the open wound. I helped her wrap it around his chest, before laying him back down gently. "Sleep tight." Angela said, kissing his forehead in a loving tone. Hana simply sat there beside the bed, as we didn't even attempt to try to get her to leave. She would stay there all night if she had to. Angela and I exited, exchanging worried glances. "Is he going to make it?" I cut straight to the chase. She pondered for a moment, sighing. "I don't know Lena. It doesn't look good though, I'll be honest. I hate seeing this happen, Hana is so worried, and to see her so heartbroken is..." she trailed off, the image popping into her head.

"Don't think about that, just focus on keeping him alive." I said, looking her in the eyes. She nodded. "I'll go talk to Jack, he seems pretty shaken up about this." She said, walking off. I sighed, figuring I'll fly us to base, hopefully getting him to the medical attention he requires. "Hold on luv." I said to myself, hoping he could hear some how.


	27. Chapter 27

3rd Person

They all gathered around the table for dinner, their thoughts still on the successful mission yesterday, but the sacrifices that allowed it to happen were weighing heavily on their weary minds. Brayden had never been in a stable condition since the mission, and Angela had been working tirelessly on bringing him back to full strength. His chest was still wrapped up, and he hadn't woken up since they removed the bullet. The bullet had pierced his heart, and nearly killed him instantly. Just about anyone else would've died from it, but he still clinged to life.

Angela sat in silence as she was preparing herself mentally and physically for the surgery she needed to do for there to be any chance of him living. She gasped as Jack shook her, smiling warmly at her, trying to cheer her up. "You okay?" He asked. She shook her head, being honest with how she felt about the situation. Lena grabbed her hand, holding it in her own. "He'll make it luv. I'm sure of it. I mean, this is Brayden we're talking about."

"I hope you're right." She said, her gaze still upon her feet as she sat there. "I trust you can get it done. You brought me from the dead." Genji said, chuckling as he said it. They all tried their best to make her feel at ease, but the only thing to satisfy her was to see him smile once more, and know that he would make it out alive.

Lena's POV

A few hours later...

I sat in my now rather empty feeling room, feeling the heavy guilt rising in my stomach as I thought of the ways I could've prevented all the pain and suffering Brayden was going through. I twiddled my thumbs around in my hands until a beep of the intercom startled me. "Lena?" I heard Angela's voice come from it, no normal happiness or emotion in her voice. "Brayden woke up, and he said he wanted to talk with you before the surgery." She finished, and I jumped up from my bed. "I'm on my way luv!" I yelled, blinking out of my doorway, into the quiet hallway, my quick footsteps echoing loudly as I sprinted through the pathways. I hurried over, not wanting to keep him waiting. 'These could be his last moments. Make 'em count.' I thought, blinking around a corner, my feet slipping a little as I made a sharp turn.

I opened the door to the med bay, Brayden sitting calmly in his bed. He had his eyepatch in his hands, rubbing his fingers along the bunny in the center of it. "Hiya Lena." He said, as his eye met mine, a smile coming to his face. He looked like hell though, the white bandages on his chest stained with his own blood. I smiled back, pulling up a chair near his bed, taking a seat near him. "How ya feeling luv?" I asked.

He sighed. "I've been better to be honest. I appreciate all the support I'm getting from you guys though. Jack had quite a few heartwarming things to say to me I'm his letter." Brayden said, motioning to the flowers near his bed, and a quite a few letters written to him from people who couldn't talk to him at the time. "It would be better if they could talk to me in person, but I guess you'll be the first besides Angela of course. Ya know, you're the best thing that's happened to me in my life. When you all saved me all those years ago, I never felt more thankful for what you've done." He said. I smiled. "Ah come on, you've saved me multiple times by now. Let's call it even." I said, as he laughed, before his laughter turned to another violent fit of coughing.

"Ah don't make me laugh luv, it hurts." He said, sending a toothy grin my way. We sat in silence for a moment, before he started talking again. "I just wish a certain someone would come and visit me." He said, focusing on the pink eyepatch in his hands. "Hana hasn't come around yet, and she hasn't given me a letter either." He frowned, before placing the eyepatch to the table beside him. "She hasn't stopped working with Angela and making sure you are okay to do anything ever since the mission. She's been worried about you though, I could tell. I guess she's just busy." I assured him. He gave a grunt of approval, before smiling. "Yeah, guess so. Oh and if you catch her before the surgery, tell her I love her, and that I'd love to talk. Well, if I live..." He trailed off.

I grabbed his hand. "Don't think like that luv, this ain't the last time we'll see each other." I said, wishing he would think like I did. "Don't lie to me luv, I'm not fine. I know my chances of making it, and they are pretty slim to say the least. You can't just attach a do-hickey like your choronal accelerator and I'll be fine. I know that's what they plan to do, but it might not work. If tomorrow comes without me..." He gripped my hand hard. "Know I'm going to a better place. I'll be in peace, and my pain will be gone." He said, no joking tone in his voice this time, being completely serious.

"I'd miss ya luv." I stated, smiling at him. "I'd miss you too luv. I'd miss being with ya, hugging you and chatting with you. I would miss each and everyone of you, but know if I'm gone and your still here, I'll be looking down on you, keeping an eye out for ya. I'll put in a good word for you." He said, his other hand overlapping mine. "Besides, all the fan girls are too busy flirting with me, maybe they'll focus on you a bit more, give you some time in the sun." He joked, as I laughed. "In your dreams Brayden. You were always ugly." I teased, as he gasped. "I think Hana would disagree with that statement." He said, smiling wide.

We simply laughed together as we joked around, our friendship something that would never be replaced in my heart. 'Boy am I glad we got that call about agents after a boy with powers. Life simply wouldn't be the same without him. Overwatch wouldn't be the same.' I thought. He interrupted the silence with a smile which caught my eye. "I love you Lena." He said. "I love you too Brayden. It's been quite the ride we've had." He laughed, starting to sit up. I grabbed his shoulders, gripping them tightly. "Angela said you can't move luv." He kept sitting up. "To hell with sitting, I need to do something." He said, being as stubborn as ever. I helped him stand up as he leaned against the table beside him. He then pulled me into a tight hug, his arms wrapping tightly around my chest. I hugged back, feeling the warmth coming from him flow into me. He then broke away, saluting me. I stood straight, saluting him as I held back tears. "It's been an honor, Lena." He said, as he wiped a tear away. "Same here luv." I said, before exiting the room, as he went to lay back down.

Brayden's POV

I tried to go back to sleep, but the mission, my injury, my friends, the surgery, and Hana were all on my mind, preventing me from getting any type of actual sleep. I tossed and turned, even started counting sheep, but all of my efforts proved fruitless as I began to feel more and more of the effects of insomnia.

I groaned as my chest began to bother me again, starting to do it's hourly bleeding, which annoyed me to no end. I pressed a button on the remote beside me which when pressed activates a sound that notifies Angela or whoever about my distress. I sat in pain, waiting for another dose of medicine to keep me from dying, and some numbing medicine as well. I was shocked as Hana came out, a needle in her hand. My eye widened as I sat up a bit, smiling at her. She ignored me, avoiding direct eye contact with me. I frowned, before she pulled up my bandages, then giving me a shot directly into the wound. I winced, before she then turned to leave, not even saying a word. I grabbed her hand, pulling her back to me.

"Oi! Don't avoid me!" I yelled, slightly irritated from her ignoring me. She slowly turned around, finally meeting my gaze with her own. I faked a smile, as she politely did the same. "What's going on? Why haven't you visited me?" I asked, as she sighed, pulling out the same chair that Lena used. "Well you weren't awake for most of the time, and I didn't write a letter because you already know how I feel." She lied. "I know there's more to it than that. What's really bothering you?" I asked, as she looked up at me, leaning against the bed frame.

"I'm worried about the surgery. What if you don't make it? What if you end up leaving me all alone for the rest of my life? I can't deal with talking to you because when you die it'll just be more memories to haunt me. I can't stand the thought of being here without you..." She trailed off, a tear in her eye. I pulled her into a hug, her tears staining my bandages even more. I sighed, rubbing my hand along her back gently. "Hana, I'm not leaving you. Who said I was dying any time soon?" I laughed, as she only frowned, breaking the hug.

"Because I know the chances of you making it out alive, and they aren't what I would hope for." She replied. "Look, I won't lie to you, I'm scared about tonight, I don't know what will happen, or even if I'll see the light again. But what I do know, is I love you, with all my heart. Know you mean everything to me. And if I don't make it, just know I didn't die in pain or have regrets about my life. The only regret I could have is not telling you this sooner. If I die, I'll always be in your heart, always looking out for you guys." I said, assuring her as I caressed her cheek.

I smiled at her, glad I got that off my chest. She smirked back up at me, her tears disappearing. "Now promise me you won't blame yourself for my death if I do die." I said, looking her in the eyes. "I promise."

"Good, now, you've got work to do don't ya? I won't keep you from it, go on, save my life again." I joked, as she giggled, standing up from the chair. I watched as she left, an uncontrollable grin spreading wide upon my face. As she left, the door opened again soon enough, a stressed Angela coming in. I smiled at her, as she returned the same one, before giving me another shot. "Another shot? What's this one for?" I asked as it penetrated my skin.

"This is to make you tired so you can go to sleep, the surgery will commence soon. Do you have anything you want to say before you go?" She asked. "Just one. Thanks mum, for everything you've done for me. I'm happy I could've met such a beautiful, kind, caring, and selfless person in my life. What's the saying? You don't choose your family? Well I got to choose my mom. And I certainly picked the best one." I said, as she wiped tears away from her eyes. "I'm glad I could choose my own son too, I'm proud of you. You did go son, ya did good." She smiled, before leaving me.

A few hours later...

I felt weary, but my eye refused to close for more than a second, my thoughts running rampant around my head, keeping me aware of my surroundings and awake, no matter how bad I wanted to just go to sleep. My eyelid grew heavy as I desperately tried to go to sleep. But a part of me didn't want to go quietly into that goodnight, part of me wanted to scream and turn, and leave all of this behind.

I reluctantly pressed the button again, as a concerned Angela came back. "Brayden? What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep yet?" She asked, as I shrugged. "I can't sleep, and I'm really worried about the surgery." I admitted, as she sighed, taking a seat near me. "How about I stay here until you go to sleep? I'm not doing anything until I know you're not awake." She said, as I smiled, trying to go to sleep.

My worried thoughts kept bouncing around in my mind, aggravating me as I simply wanted sleep. I turned to her, as her eyes met my own, a smile being shot my way as she simply watched in a protective manner. 'God I feel like a kid again. Seriously? My mom has to stay with me until I go to sleep? What's next is she gonna tuck me in and give a kiss goodnight?' I thought to myself.

"Hey, I know this is stupid and childish, but can you sing me to sleep? I don't want my last thoughts and sounds I heard to be my raspy breaths if I die. I want it to be something calming, and your angelic voice would be perfect." I whispered, as she smiled at me, before clearing her throat.

My eye widened in surprise as she started to hum to the tune of 'What a wonderful world'. I smiled as she started to sing.

 _I see trees of green_

 _red roses too_

 _I see them bloom_

 _For me and you_

 _And I think to myself, what a wonderful world_

I grew more and more tired by the second, her voice surprisingly calming and soothing. My eye naturally started to close as she continued the song.

 _I see skies of blue_

 _Clouds of white_

 _The bright blessed day_

 _the dark sacred night_

 _And I think to myself, what a wonderful world_

My vision darkened as I attentively listened as I calmed down, a grin coming to my face as I slowly fell asleep, my mind on the beautiful tune and person singing the song to me, my eyelid closing as sleep took me into its warm embrace, no worries about tomorrow in sight.

 **Okay. The last chapter is coming next week. I've been thinking about how to end this story for a while now, and I need to make one final decision. But a bright idea came to mind. What if you all make it for me? I'm going to be holding a poll, and you will all make a decision. Does Brayden live or die in the next chapter. I was slightly leaning towards he dies because it could be a very inspiring story for the other agents to remember, as he sacrificed himself for the ones he loved. I also thought it was very poetic how the story begins with Reaper, and it can end with him too. But I want you all to be as satisfied with the ending as me, so I want you guys to comment if you want him to live or die. I have plans for both outcomes, so don't be scared to tell me if you want him to live. I'll take the advice from any of you guys on how to end the story I've worked so hard on. So go ahead! Comment!**


	28. Chapter 28

Author's note

Before the chapter starts I want to say how much I've tried to compromise and address everything people want. Some people wanted him to die, but an overwhelming amount of you wanted him to live. I also worked with a few others on how to end this, and if it should be left to interpretation or not. I didn't use everyone's ideas as some of them I disagreed with and didn't want to end it that way, but I still tried to please them. I'm sorry if you don't like the ending, and if you want you can write your own endings and even send them to me so I can see your different interpretations of Brayden's story and how it ends. But in the end it can only have one true ending, so here it is.

My eye snapped open as the lights overhead blinded me. I winced as I forced musk to sit up. 'Did I make it?' I thought, gripping my chest as I did so. I gasped as I felt cold metal instead of my skin, a familiar hum coming from it that sounded like the one Lena had. I looked down, a blue light illuminating from the center of a light in my chest, and a harness that covered my heart. "What the bloody hell?" I asked, frowning as I felt the urge to stand. My shaky feet made contact with the cold cement floor under me as I stood up from the bed, groaning as an ache ran through my body.

I took a step forward, using the table beside me to stand. I looked up, spotting the clock as I focused my vision on it, seeing it was late in the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure it was the day after the surgery. "Shit, I've been out that long?" I muttered, deciding to exit the room, yanking out a IV cord in my arm. My muscles cried out for me to sit back down, but I rebelled against the idea, pushing myself forward.

I opened the door, as it creaked, sounding much louder as it contrasted with the deadly silent hallways. My feet wobbled as my weight made them weak, making me unable to walk completely straight. 'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to just up and leave the med bay?' I thought to myself, grinning slightly as even I noticed how stubborn I was.

I walked through the hallways, making my way to the cafeteria as I followed the scent of food. I grinned as I heard familiar chatting and laughter coming from with it as I slowly approached it. I still struggled to come to terms with the glowing blue aura coming from my chest as it hummed a low note, the metal annoying me slightly. My hand grabbed the handle of the door, before slowly turning, my muscles so weak they barely were able to do that. I pushed the door open, seeing my family before me, all talking as they enjoyed each other's company.

Angela was laughing until she noticed me enter, taking a double glance to make sure she wasn't mistaken. I smiled, straightening my back as I fixed my posture, my smile growing even wider as they all noticed me, standing up from the table. Hana turned to me, walking over to me. As I stretched my arms to pull her into a tight hug she quickened her pace, running to me as she nearly tackled me, as I laughed. She pulled from the hug, tears of joy in her eyes as I smiled warmly. "Hey luv, good to see you too." I joked, before she kissed me, pulling me into a loving embrace.

Everyone cheered as we then separated, and she allowed me to move forward. Lena was next, simply hugging me. I wiped away her tears from her cheeks, patting her shoulder gently, before I ran to Angela, picking her up as I hugged her. It hurt my muscles to carry her but I didn't care, this moment too good to pass up. I let go of her, her laughter making me feel at ease as I greeted the others. Mcree simply tipped his hat, before I hugged him anyways, as everyone laughed, though he returned the loving hug.

After I had greeted everyone, I noticed Jack was in the back, standing by the table. I smiled at him, taking a few steps toward him. His stare didn't falter, he simply kept looking at me. "Aw come here ya old coot." I gave in, as he smirked, before hugging me, letting go of a few tears. I sighed, happy to be back with those I had loved, and to even be alive.

We all sat back down at the table, all of us laughing and talking once more, although I still felt a bit of pain. But they all made up for it a thousand times over, Lena making a joke as she realized we were as she said: "Accelerator Buddies." I then learned about why I needed the thing strapped to my chest. This was the only thing that kept my heart pumping, as it supplied it with the energy to move. Without it, I'd be dead. I could take it off, but it always had to be in close proximity of me, or else I would slowly die.

We all talked for hours, before we all started to head off to our rooms. I was walking to Hana's to talk with her, but Angela called me over. I turned to her, as she stood outside of her doorway. "What is it mum?" I asked, walking to her. "It's about the accelerator..." She said, before I interrupted her, recalling all of the rules she told me to do to keep it in good shape. But she continued anyway. "It's not that. There's something else to the accelerator. It has to do with your powers." I frowned, letting her continue. "The accelerator can't work in extreme heat for extended periods of time, so this, as you can see, renders your powers useless."

I gasped, turning around for a moment, processing the information, and the emotions that came along with it. "So if I use my powers, I die?" I asked, not understanding. "It's a very high chance of that yes, you can't use them unless in an emergency. And even then, refrain from using them."

I stood there in shock, unable to fully comprehend what I was just told. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?" I asked. "We didn't know if that was the case, but we've tested it, and we've confirmed it will not function when in extreme temperatures. I'm sorry Brayden." She said. I felt anger inside, but I knowingly held it in, now knowing of it's dangers to my health. "It's okay mum, it's not your fault. I just... I need to think about this... and what if means for my future here. Because I can't go into a battle without the risk of getting angry, and then I won't be able to stop myself. I'm gonna go see Hana... I'll...I'll see you around." I muttered, before walking off. 'What am I supposed to do now? Wait for everyone to get back when they are on missions and clean the god damn place?!' I thought, before shaking it off, leaving it for later.

I knocked on Hana's door, as she quickly opened it, smiling at me as she welcomed me in. We both sat down on the couch, sitting near the tv. I sat in silence as she spoke, not completely listening. I stared off in the distance, thinking about what Angela said, until Hana asked: "... pretty cool huh?" I turned to her, confused. "Were you listening?" She asked, as I smiled. "Yeah, sure." I lied, as she raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What was I talking about?" She asked. 'Shit.' I thought. "You were talking about the new game they made about you... and it's gameplay was fun and you... uh..." I trailed off as she giggled. "What? I was close right?" I laughed, as she shook her head. "Not really. What's on your mind, you seemed distant, like ya had something on your mind. What is it?" She asked, concerned.

"I guess I might as well tell you. It's about the accelerator. I... I uh, I can't use my powers anymore. The thing can't handle the heat generated from me if I get angry, and I can't go into battle anymore because I might get angry and get myself killed on accident. I don't know what to do honestly. I'm lost... what am I supposed to do? I can't just stand idly by while everyone saves the world. What if you get hurt and I can't protect you? What if you leave me? I wouldn't be able to live with myself, I wouldn't-"

My rant was interrupted by her kissing me, her hands wrapping around my neck. "That's not happening. I'm always gonna be here. I know it'll be hard for you to sit and watch, but it's for the best. We can't risk you getting killed. I know you don't want to but maybe it'll be good for you. We could finally have a normal life. You could finally relax for once without worrying about the next attack! Maybe after a while I could join you, and we could see where this takes us. We can figure this whole thing out as we go, in this crazy thing we call life."

She sat on top of me, her eyes looking directly into my eye. I smiled for a second, thinking about a normal life, marrying her, settling down, having a family. I chuckled. "Thanks Hana. That sounds great." I smiled. "Anytime Brayden, maybe we could fulfill that wish we were talking about." She said. "The running away in the stars?" I asked, looking up at her. "Yeah. Maybe not the whole stars thing, but maybe a house, growing old together, maybe even a few children?" She said, raising an eyebrow at me, smiling mischievously. "Oh? Now that, I could definitely live with." I said, kissing her cheek, before she pulled me to her lips, tugging at the button of my shirt playfully. I grinned happily at her, before something stirred within me, as it made me feel warm. 'Oh hell yes.' I thought, as I carried her off to bed, as she giggled happily.

Flash forward 16 years...

"Dad! What are you staring at?" Jesse asked, his brown eyes looking up at me curiously, his hair long like the man I named him after. 'I get way into these stories nowadays, gotta keep reminding myself I'm not there anymore, not matter how bad I miss it sometimes. You're 32 now, not 16.' I thought, looking down at my 5 year old son. "Nothing Jesse, dad's just a little crazy sometimes now isn't he?" I asked, making a funny face while doing so. He giggled, along side his 4 year old sister, Lena, who sat directly near my foot as I sat in my chair. The doorbell to my house rang, as I stood up, picking up Lena and placing her in my arms.

I opened the door, my old friends at the door. Lena, Angela, and Jack all stood in my doorway. "Guys!" I yelled, pulling them into a tight hug. "Come in, come in, you must be freezing out there!" I said, closing the door behind them. They all stepped in, placing their coats on the coat hanger, all smiling. "Are we the first ones here for the Christmas party?" Angela asked. I nodded, before my son ran to Jack's side, pulling him down to play army men. I chuckled, watching as Jack was dragged off. "Aunt Lena!" My daughter yelled in excitement, jumping up as she caught her, smiling at each other, it was funny to see that as it almost seemed like she was looking in a mirror, her hair just like hers, along with the light freckles.

Hana walked in, smiling as she noticed this, hugging Angela. "It's great to see you Hana. I hope Brayden here has been treating you well." She said, looking to me. I faked hurt, laughing at the joke. "Oh he always treats me well. What about Jack over there? Still saying the same ol' Jack we all know?" She returned the question. She nodded, looking at Jack as he laughed with Jesse.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I got everyone presents! I know you're all gonna love it!" She exclaimed. "I don't know, Hana's eyepatch is still my favorite. I got that thing lying around here somewhere." I replied, smiling as I thought of when I first got it. We laughed, before the doorbell rang once again.

I walked over, opening the door, to see Mcree standing there, his cowboy hat covered in snow. "Mcree! Ah it's so good to see you!" I said, opening the door. "Good to see you too. Good to see you guys as well." He said, smiling at everyone. "So how's little Jesse doing?" He asked, as he had always been his favorite, for obvious reasons. "He's doing fine. How about you? Still roaming around, or finally settling down?" I asked, as he laughed. "I don't know really. Although having a family worked out for you pretty well so far." He answered, as I chuckled, before he pulled out a bottle vodka. "Got a bottle with your name on it for later tonight, for ya know, old times sake." He smiled at me. "Not in front of the kids man. But yeah of course, but make sure we only drink it when they're asleep." I said, forcing it back into the bag he brought. "Aww look at mister responsible here. I remember a day you got drunk off your ass when you realized you were gonna be a father." Mcree said, laughing at me. "No fair! I was stressed out man! I didn't know how to be a good father." I defended myself.

"What are you guys talking about?" Hana asked. "Oh nothing, just the good ol days right Mcree?" I bluffed, as he nodded in response. "Yeah, totally." He agreed. She sighed, before turning back to Angela. "The things I have to deal with." She sighed. "Uh I'll have you know I'm a perfectly responsible and reasonable father. See, it's 10 past 11:00, that's about 2 hours after their bed time, but we let them stay up late because it's Christmas Eve. So ha! I'm a great father. Ain't that right Jesse?" I asked, as he stood up. "Yeah!" He exclaimed, giving me a hug before returning to playing with Jack. "Told you." I chuckled. They both rolled their eyes.

"And that reminds me, its about time I talk with Mcree outside. Excuse us." I said, dragging him off. "What... what's going on?" He asked confused, before I closed the door behind us, as I took a seat on the chair on the porch. I sighed, rubbing my temple. He took a seat by me. "What's going on partner?" Mcree asked. "It's Hana. I've gotten everyone else a present for tomorrow on Christmas, except for her. I have a few ideas, but I don't know for sure."

"Ah, so that's it." Mcree chuckled. "Don't 'ahh' me. I'm serious!" I said. "I know, it's a hard thing to do. But ya gotta go with ya gut feeling." He advised. "No shit Sherlock but I don't know if it's good enough." I replied. "Well what've you got?" He asked, tipping his hat slightly.

I pulled out a locket attached to a necklace, opening it. He frowned. "There's nothing in there." I sighed. "Are you that dumb?! I know that! I don't know what to put in there." I yelled. He held his hands up. "Okay okay damn. Well, how about a family photo?" Mcree offered, before I shook my head. "No. We've never been able to get a photo recently. The only one we have is from when we got married and when Jesse was only a few months old, and another one when Lena was a few months old, so no for that."

"How about picture of yourself?" He asked. "No, too unoriginal for me." He frowned, pondering for a second, before snapping his fingers. "Well than maybe we ditch the locket, and we get her something else. Oh, how about ya just get a ring for her. Remember when she lost it in one of our last battles? Maybe you could replace it. Bingo!" He exclaimed, as I smiled, standing up. "Oh you're a lifesaver! I owe ya one!" I said, running inside to grab a jacket.

I walked back out, closing the door behind me, my coat covering my accelerator. I rubbed my hands together for warmth, before turning to Mcree. "Keep an eye on the kids, and make sure that vodka is saved for us. I'll see ya when I get back." I said, before heading off into the streets of London, leaving the warmth of my house.

I walked through the streets, the snow crunching under my feet as I walked down to the jewelry stores. 'Remember our first date with Hana? We ran into dad? God I wanted to kiss her so bad.' I thought, smiling as I reminisced of the day, placing my hands in my pockets. 'Yeah well we made up for it didn't we? Who would've thought I'd end up with Hana, and even have 2 children. Life is good. Couldn't imagine a happier ending.'

My mind drifted to the bad times though as well, thinking back to when Talon tortured me all those years ago. I remember all the time I almost died. 'Well good thing talons gone, ever since we blew up that base they were never the same. The next decade was just taking out the remaining outposts and agents, before eventually disbanded completely.' I thought, taking a left turn, seeing the lights of the store. I ran to it, before the lights went inside went out, and a closed sign was placed on the window. "Damnit!" I said, running off to the other stores.

"Ah come on, there's gotta be something." I said to myself, sprinting through the rather empty streets, as I made it to the next place, placing my hands on the window. I sighed as another closed sign broke my heart. I ran down the street to another shop, my hands reaching out for the door, only for it to be locked. "Ah fuck me sideways." I muttered, looking at the ring I wanted to get her. It looked a lot like our own, its craftsmanship rather similar. I took a short cut through an alley, hoping to reach the only store left in town. It had the same ring the last time I checked, and I hoped I could find it.

My feet slipped slightly as the snow made the ground slippery, as I made a sharp turn, cutting through the pathways straight to the shop. I pushed open the door, only to see a man closing up the shop. "Uh, sir?" He questioned. "Are you closing?" I asked, panting from the long sprint here. "I was just closing yes." He answered. "I'm sorry, but can I just take up a moment of your time, I need to buy a present for my wife. I've went to every store in town, and every one of them has been closed. You have the ring I want, if I could buy it from you, that'd be great." I explained, as he simply looked on.

"Please, I know it's Christmas Eve and you are trying to go home, but I need this. She is the most beautiful woman in the world, and she deserves the best. Please." I begged. He then smiled, allowing me to grab the ring I wanted, along with the case. "What do I owe you sir, well besides my marriage?" I joked, as he raised his hand, shaking it. "It's fine, I'll let you have it for free. It is Christmas after all." He said, as I hugged him. "Oh thank you sir! You don't know how much this means to me! Happy holidays!" I said, waving him off as I ran out into the cold once more, heading back home happily.

'What a swell guy.' I thought to myself, laughing lightly. I held the case holding the ring close to me, smiling as I walked back home.

My trip back home was short, as I neared my house, before a loud scream caught my attention. My head snapped to where I heard it, a dark alleyway in front of me. I squinted as I noticed a few shadows, both fighting for something, while one watched. I stepped closer, as it became more clear. Someone was robbing a woman, along with her child who cried. The lady screamed for help, as I stood there in shock.

'I can't go in there, if I get angry I'll... I won't...' I thought. 'We can't just leave her to die! We need to help her!' I thought, conflicted as I ran to the scene. The criminal noticed me, pulling out a gun. "Stay right there! Not one more step!" He demanded, as I held my hands up. "Woah there, don't do this man. It's Christmas. Let's just talk this out." I said, trying to avoid a fight. "I don't care! Don't move!" He yelled at me. I continued stepping forward. "You got a death wish dude? I said stay back!" He said, his hand shaking. "I know you don't wanna do this, just put the gun down." I said, nearing him.

I heard the gun fire, my natural instincts kicking in as I blocked it with my shield. The child and woman gasped as I kept pushing forward, blocking each bullet, before I tackled him to the ground. He yelled, scared as I got ready to punch him. "I'm sorry." I said, before knocking him unconscious. I stood back up, the familiar feeling of fire blazing in me as I calmed down, hoping to make sure my accelerator doesn't malfunction. But it didn't work, as it started to flicker, as I heard it's hum become more and more faint as the girl called to me. "Thanks mister! You're a hero!" She yelled, hugging me, as I patted her head, before walking back as the woman called the police. 'That went better than when I was a vigilante now didn't it.'

I started to grow tired as I fell to the ground, sparks flying from my accelerator. I groaned as I stood back up, a feeling of dread hit me. "She told me this day would come." I muttered, walking down the street. "Come on, don't think like that, maybe it'll work out. It's not guaranteed death, just highly likely." I joked to myself, using the railing on the stairs leading to my porch to keep me up straight. 'Ah come on, we're late, Hana's gonna be mad.' I thought. I rang the doorbell to my house as the door was locked. I heard them from inside walk to the door.

The door swung open, as Hana greeted me, before she frowned. "Merry Christmas luv." I said, stepping inside before collapsing into her arms. I heard Angela push the kids upstairs so they didn't see me like this, as they didn't know about my powers. "Come on luv, stay with me." I heard Lena say. "I've beaten the odds before, so maybe I'll make it this time too." I replied, as I groaned as they removed the accelerator.

Luckily Winston was there, as he was the only one who even had a chance of fixing it. Just about everyone in Overwatch was here, as they all sat in silence, hoping I'd be fine. As Winston worked on the accelerator, as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I saw Jesse descending them, worry in his eyes. "Dad?" He asked, as everyone turned to him. "Go back to bed honey, he's okay." Hana said. "It's okay, come here." I said, motioning for him from the couch. He stood by me, tears in his eyes. "What's wrong dad? Are you gonna be okay?" He asked.

"I'm gonna be fine, it's just a little miscalculation ya know. Sometimes I have these little... outbursts. You know when you get angry?" He nodded. "Well multiply that by like 10."

"You get that angry?" He asked, astonished. "Oh your dad gets angry, one time, he got so mad he turned red." Mcree said, chuckling. "Yeah, so be a good boy and don't worry about me. Dad is gonna be fine. But I've gotta job for ya." I said, as he leaned in. "Keep Lena safe. She might have a nightmare tonight because of the scary things going on down here. And when that happens, monsters come for her. So I want you to protect her door, keep watch in case of any monsters." I said, as he nodded, before frowning.

"How come you guys can't stop them?" He asked. "Oh they are too scary for us. We need you to protect all of us. You think you can handle that?" I asked, smirking as he grinned, before saluting me. "I won't let ya down Dad." He said. I patted his head, running my fingers through his long brown hair. "'Atta boy." I said, as he then ran off, before Mcree stopped him. "Hey kid, take this." He said, placing his hat on his head, which fit awkwardly on his head as it slid off. "It'll make you fearless. Now you can take 'em all on at once kid." He said, smiling at him. "I get to wear this?" Jesse asked. Mcree nodded. "Wow! Cool!" He said, before running off upstairs, one hand on the hat on his head to keep it upright.

"Think he'll actually protect her?" Genji asked. "Are you kidding? That's Brayden's son for crying out loud! He'll protect that door with his life, if he's as stubborn as his old man." Angela replied, smiling at me. "Who you calling old?" I asked. "You're the one with two children." She responded, as I shrugged. "Guess ya got a point. Guess I'm not a young man anymore." I said the last sentence in a deep voice, mocking Jack.

"I do not sound like that!" He yelled, before we all disagreed with him, laughing. We all sat for a while, before I began annoyed by the silence, almost talking before Reinhardt asked me a question. "How'd this happen?" He asked, as I sighed, explaining the situation to them all as they listened intently.

"And now I'm here..." I finished, as they all sat for a moment. "Wait, so you saved a child and her mom?" Lena asked, a puzzled look on her face. I nodded. "I couldn't just leave them, I know it was reckless, irresponsible, and dumb, but I helped anyways. I'm sorry guys, it's just, I missed the old days ya know, fighting, having you all at my back. It's something nothing else can replace. I guess I was just stuck in the past." I said, frowning.

"It's okay, just don't go doing this again. I might not be here next time." Winston scolded, but smiling all the same. I smirked at him, before I watched as the blue light coming from the accelerator ignite, it's hum full of life once again. My eye widened as Winston's grin became wider as he handed it too me. I placed it back on, feeling much better as my heart pumped much stronger, making me feel okay. I sat up, a slight groan as I was still in pain, before hugging Winston. "You saved my life bud! Thanks so much!" I said, before jokingly planting a kiss on his cheek.

Everyone laughed as he frowned, wiping the area where my lips were before he continued. "Alright, we should be heading back?" He said, as they all stood up. "So soon?" I frowned. He turned. "Yes, but we'll be back tomorrow morning, and we can celebrate the holidays once more. Besides, you need rest, so bye for now." He said, waving, as Hana saw them out.

I sat in the couch for a moment, before trying to stand. Hana ran to my side to help me. "Baby steps. You almost died back there." I smiled at her, regaining my balance. "Wouldn't be the first time now would it?" I said, as she giggled lightly. "Yeah well, our hero days are over, so we can take it easy." She said, as we walked up the stairs.

I chuckled as we got up the stairs, finding Jesse fast asleep, leaning against the door as Mcree's hat covered his face, his hair becoming even more messy. I bent down, picking him up. "Come on cowboy, its way past high noon." I joked, as I carried him to his room. Hana walked behind me as I set him down in his bed, pulling the covers over him. I smiled, hearing Hana wish him goodnight before heading to our room. I stayed there for a moment, watching him as he slept.

My eye stopped on the poster on his wall, displaying the Overwatch logo, along with all of us posing for the photo. I remembered having it specifically made for him, as Overwatch technically didn't exist anymore. I smiled, Lena leaning over me with her arm slung over my shoulder as we both cracked a toothy grin at the camera, while everyone posed for it. We were all in our gear, taking the photo for memories sake, as we took it a month before my final mission.

I frowned for a moment as my mind flashed to Reaper, the man who started it all. His laughter still echoed in my head as it haunted me, as he was the cause for me being in the accelerator. But I still felt a bit of sadness for him, pitying him for what happened to him. "Hey Gabriel, I know we're like sworn enemies, but... Merry Christmas. I'm sorry about what happened to you, and I hope, wherever you are, you've found peace. Thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great. Thanks for making my life the way it is, and unintentionally making my life happier, and leading to me finding the love of my life. Goodbye Reyes."

"You coming to bed Brayden?" I heard Hana call out to me. I smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I'm coming."

 **And there it is. The ending to Brayden's story! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did, and thank you for making this all possible with all your support. I'm glad I can do this, as it's an amazing thing to be able to write and have people like the things you pump out. I'm sad to see Brayden go, as I'll miss him and his story and antics, but I'm moving on to another story. I already have a good idea about it, and hope to see you guys there as well!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Cantthinkuvauser**


End file.
